Don't Push Me Away
by Neon-Fantasy
Summary: “Someone, somewhere, dreams of your smile and finds in your presence that life is worth while. So when you are lonely, remember it's true, that someone is me and I'm thinking of you.” 4xR AU //DISCONTINUED//
1. Chapter 1

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
********************************  
  
" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Awaking from her peaceful slumber, the teenage girl slowly rouse up from her bed, getting herself into sitting position. She stretched her arms up over her head and let out a little yawn. Her room shone in a dim maroon colour, the morning sunlight was reflecting off of her maroon coloured curtains, wanting to shine its light upon her dark room. The curtains swayed gently as the morning breeze was edging its way into her room, causing some sunlight to flash upon the girl's blue eyes, making her squint at the brightness.   
  
Peering over to her alarm clock, the time read nine-thirty seven. From removing the warm bed quilts off her slim form, her body slightly shivered from the change of temperature. When she got herself to her feet she walked over to the end of the bed, picking up her light purple night robe. She slid her arms through the silk sleeves and wrapped the belt around her small waist. She raised her arm under her hair to flick the long, soft, platinum blonde tresses out from her robe, allowing them to flow loosely down her back. Walking over to the curtains she sharply pulled them open, allowing the sun to brightly shine over her.   
  
When she opened the balcony door she stepped out into the light, reaching her arms out to take hold of the railing. It was such a beautiful morning, there were no clouds in the sky, the temperature was warm and there was a nice gentle breeze. 'Even the weather seems to be welcoming my young brother home today,' the girl thought to herself, smirking at the irony of it. It has been three years since he had left home, having to go overseas to represent their father in meetings and conferences for one of the companies which their family owned.   
  
Winner Trans.Prog Software (W.T.P.S), one of the successful translation companies this side of the earth. Operating in over ten countries with external dealings with several others, providing professional translations of; business documents, web pages, books, and even personal letters however ridiculously expensive as well as impractical to ask from a huge company. Her father has received many awards here and overseas from several conventions; not to mention to numerous take-over bids, which now are in his court. Because of this, it has led him to caring more and more about their reputation and income then his family. 'He didn't even seem like a father anymore,' Dorothy complained in her head, 'While he treats Quatre as the next heir to the throne of the companies I get treated like some damn secretary!'  
  
While Dorothy had her mind on this she didn't take notice that someone was knocking on her door. Before she could take notice, the person welcomed themselves in and spotted her out on the balcony. Knowing that her father would be at work she could easily assume who it was, "What can I do for you Clare?"  
  
"Sorry to disturb you Miss Dorothy but your father is on the line for you. He wishes to speak to you."  
  
'Oh, just what I feel like when I get up in the morning,' she sarcastically thought. "Very well, transfer the call then."  
  
The maid nodded her head to her and quietly made her way out the room, closing the door behind her as she went. Once she left the room Dorothy walked back inside to go answer the call. '[sigh] What could be the problem now?' She thought to herself as she made her way to her desk. She sat herself down, making herself comfortable before accepting the call. The vid-phone flashed on, revealing the face of her father. His dark brown hair covered his right eye, while the one which remained visible looked directly at her showing no emotion. He was wearing his dark grey business suit and red tie. Both of hands were clasped firmly together on the table as he sat perfectly straight in his chair with his usual frown on.  
  
Dorothy cast him one of her sweetest smiles and said, "Why, good morning father. What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Quatre's plane will arrive at the airport at five-thirty instead of one-o'clock today. Be sure to go pick him up," her father flatly replied.  
  
"Of course, but why is it that he's arriving later?"  
  
"He still has some things to sort out in the office before returning."  
  
"Very well, I will see him at the airport later then. Have a good day at work."  
  
He gave out a little snort before terminating the call. Dorothy just stared at the blank screen, her smile fading in the process. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the blank screen for a few moments. All of a sudden the vid-phone started ringing, causing Dorothy to jump with surprise. Re-posturing herself again she accepted the call. The screen presented her with an image of a teenage girl with long honey blonde hair and aquamarine eyes.   
  
"Good morning Dorothy. Sorry to be bothering you so early in the morning," the girl greeted.  
  
Casting her cursing aside she gave the girl a big smile and replied, "Ah, good morning to you too Relena. What can I do for you?"  
  
"I'm not sure if I will be able to come over today."  
  
Dorothy raised an eye brow at her, going into detail she explained, "My father is coming home today. I know he was supposed to come home next week but it seems that he had finished doing business with his client already, so that's the reason why I won't be able to come."  
  
Dorothy gave out a frustrated sigh by their plans being changed by unexpected events, 'The day just can't get any better than this' she sarcastically thought. "We need to work on our project Relena, whether if he's returning early this morning or later this afternoon we need to get as much of our project done as possible, you know that."  
  
"His plane arrives at five-thirty today. I would have thought about coming at around eleven or something but you mentioned before that your brother was returning early this afternoon. The times are too awkward for us to get anything done."  
  
Dorothy's eyes widened at that source of information, she shook her head at the irony of things sometimes and said, "Ah, well there is where you are wrong. Seems fate is on our side on this one, I just happened to get a phone from my father telling me that my brother will be returning later this afternoon. At the same time your father returns as well."  
  
Dorothy had expected a shocked expression from the girl she was talking to but all Relena did was nod, "Than we can still work on our project after all."  
  
Dorothy nodded, "I can take you to the airport when I go to pick up my brother, will you need a lift home?"  
  
Relena shook her head, "My mother will be there, but thank you anyway."  
  
The call didn't last too much longer after that, after saying their goodbyes Dorothy pondered a little over Relena's behaviour. She had been acting so, unfeeling for a while now. Shrugging it off, she got up from the table and walked her way to the bathroom. She turned on the bath taps and set the water at a reasonable temperature before she started slipping out of her nightwear. When she finished removing all her clothing she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She remained still as she started back at herself, those blue eyes staring at her told more then words ever could. She raised her hand to the mirror, rubbing her index finger over the reflection of her eyes.   
  
A jolt of anger suddenly flashed though her as she slammed her hand over her face, "I am strong," she whispered to herself. Leaning back from the mirror she still saw the pitiful sight of her eyes starring back at her as if it were challenging her, "I am strong. I AM STRONG!" Her voice rising as she shouted to the mirror. After standing there for a few moments she decided that she was not going to take anymore of this foolishness, calmly breathing in and out to relax herself a little she got into the bath tub and started focusing on strategy tactics which she might need to play later today upon her brother's return home, 'Things are going to get interesting' she thought as she smiled to herself, relaxing further into the bath tub.  
  
********************************  
  
Quatre sunk himself into his chair, leaning his head on top of his paperwork in frustration. He thought he got all his work done last night. He wanted to get it all out of the way so that he wouldn't be so stressed out on the day he would be returning home. It just seemed to magically appear before him this morning on his desk, indicating that it was important for him to view. He had to change his flight time because of it as well. There was no way that he was going to bring un-finished work home so he was determined to finish it as soon as possible. He was hoping to say goodbye to everyone too. They knew that he was leaving today but he hadn't said any of his goodbyes yet. 'I won't get the chance to do so now,' he thought to himself as he leaned back on his chair, the back of his hand over his forehead as he stared sadly up at the ceiling.   
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Quatre was startled from the sudden noise and almost feel off his chair, quickly he re-postured himself before allowing the person to enter. It happened to be his secretary Mrs. Wilcott. She was a kind yet dedicated young woman in her late twenties. She had short dark brown hair which went down to the top of her shoulders and had maroon coloured eyes. She was wearing a black suit which consisted of a jacket that had a light blue dress shirt underneath, a skirt which went down to her knees in length which had a small slit down the bottom of it and had black high heels.   
  
She began working at the company when Quatre first arrived. Some were against the idea on him having an inexperienced secretary working with him since he had first started working here himself but he had no problem with it. He had faith in her and from that she was determined not to become a burden on him, she would indeed prove herself capable at the job and that's how she became quite loyal to Quatre. She was quite upset about hearing that he would leave but he was still a teenager after all. He needed to finish school and live a bit of life before having to settle down to work along side his father. Many could see that Mr. Winner held high hopes for Quatre so you would have to be a fool not to notice who the next chief executive officer would be for the W.T.P.S Company.  
  
"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Quatre but there is a situation in the board room. One of the chief executive officers has called an urgent meeting and requires your presence, this wont effect you when you leave so don't worry."   
  
Quatre gave her a weak smile and got up from his desk, "Alright".   
  
As they both made their way to the board room Quatre was starting to get a bad feeling about this, 'I wonder what's happened, I hope it's not anything too serious.' He was starting to wonder if he had done anything wrong recently, he hoped he didn't but with the work he had obviously missed doing it wouldn't have surprised him. He was starting to feel queasy as they approached the door. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to opening the door, which he mentally scolded himself for until his secretary suddenly gave him huge smile. She opened the door for him and insisted on him entering before her. 'Why am I feeling so wound up about this? It's just a meeting, it's just a meeting.' Quatre smoothed out the slight wrinkles of this dark blue business suit and straightened his metallic green tie. He took a deep breath before entering the room.   
  
Suddenly from out of no where people were jumping up everywhere yelling out, "Surprise!" Party poppers started going off and party whistles were being sounded through out the whole room. Quatre was about ready to double over. His face must have given that away since some of the staff members started giggling to themselves as they started bringing out their cameras, taking shots of the amusing sight before them. 'Damn, I knew I forgot something,' Mrs. Wilcott thought to herself with a smile, 'Oh well, I will ask someone for a copy later.' She almost started giggling at the thought; the face which Quatre would have made just now would have been priceless. As she looked over at him she noticed that his blue/green eyes reflected some what, a troubled look about the whole thing.   
  
"Mr. Quatre? Are you all right?" Mrs. Wilcott asked, growing a bit concerned.  
  
His troubled look seemed to have suddenly faded into a little smile as he looked towards her. "I'm sorry, I'm just, surprised that's all. I, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen."  
  
She gave him a big smile and was about to say something when the chief executive officer came over to greet him. He was a tall but fairly big man in his mid thirties and wore a brown suit with red tie and glasses. His hair was done in its usual fashion; it was combed off to one side and was held down by a lot of hair gel. He was a very proud yet dedicated man to his job but had little patience and didn't take lightly to any foolishness when working. Like him, many others had their doubts about Quatre working along side them. His age was what made people judge him automatically and weren't going to give him their trust until he proved worthy. To their surprise he did indeed prove them wrong. His ideals, business skills, speeches and his all around knowledge about the company was some what better then what they had pictured from an eighteen year old boy but they did have to remind themselves that he was the son of the W.T.P.S company and would be expected to know a lot if it were he to take over one day after his father.  
  
"Hey Quatre! You don't mind me calling you Quatre on your last day do you?"  
  
"Oh no, I don't mind. Did you organize this Mr. Bernardo?"  
  
He gave out a loud chuckle and patted him across the back, "If I was organizing this it would be more like a formal dinner, not something like this where it resembles a children's birthday party. But I like it!"  
  
Mrs. Wilcott gave a little chuckle at his statement, "Yes, me and some others decided to do this for you. You have been working so hard that we all thought to hold you some sort of party to let relax for once. You're still a teenager and it would seem wrong if we didn't let you act like one at least once during your stay here."  
  
Quatre was shocked by her words but then remembered, "Oh! I almost forgot. I'm so sorry about this but I still have some unfinished paperwork to do and I want to get it done before I return home so-"  
  
"Um, Mr. Quatre sir. That paperwork, um..."  
  
Quatre gave Mrs. Wilcott a puzzled look before Mr. Bernardo finished off her sentence, "That paperwork was a little setup just to make you stay in your office. We couldn't have you wandering about because that would ruin the surprise. So, well I'm sure you can figure out the rest."  
  
All Quatre could do was give him a blank expression, he did not know how to react to this sudden information. Mrs. Wilcott and Mr. Bernardo were starting to get a little worried about the way he was reacting to all of this. Quatre noticed this and quickly answered, "Sorry about that, I just became overwhelmed over the fact that I don't have to finish that paperwork anymore. Mrs. Wilcott, Mr. Bernardo, thank you much for all of this. Now let's have some fun, shall we?" Mrs. Wilcott and Mr. Bernardo agreed and they all went to join everyone in the party.  
  
********************************  
  
A few hours after the party, it was time for Quatre to get ready to leave. He gave his final goodbyes to everyone and with the escort of his secretary and Mr. Bernardo they took him to the airport.  
  
"Got everything lad?" Mr. Bernardo enquired.  
  
"Yes, I had it picked up earlier. It should be on its way home by now since I missed my first flight," Quatre explained.  
  
"Please be sure to look after yourself," Mrs. Wilcott said to Quatre as she gave him a hug.  
  
"Yes, you too Mrs. Wilcott, I hope you will send me news about your baby when it's born," Quatre said to her as he returned the same embrace on her.  
  
Mrs. Wilcott pulled back from the hug with a shocked expression on her face, "How did you know Mr. Quatre?"  
  
Quatre gave her a warm smile and said, "Well, it's hard to ignore such news when much of the female staff talk over it all the time. Congratulations."  
  
Mrs. Wilcott smiled back at him, wiping away a few tears which fell from her eyes, "Thank you Mr. Quatre, I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you sooner about it but I will definitely remember to call up to show my child to you."  
  
"I would be honored to be able to see your child. But I would much prefer to come and see him or her with my own eyes if, that's alright with you?"  
  
"Oh Mr. Quatre, I would be delighted to have you come visit us."  
  
Quatre nodded to her and turned to Mr. Bernardo to give him a farewell hand shake.  
  
"Please look after yourself too Mr. Bernardo."  
  
"You too Mr. Quatre. We will be looking forward to seeing you sometime in the near future. Business or otherwise."  
  
Quatre smiled nodded to him as well. He picked up his black leather suitcase and started heading towards the stairs which were to lead him to his flight. Taking one last look at his two work companions he waved his farewell to them one last time before disappearing down the stairs from their eye sight. It as time for him to come home, after three years he was coming home. He didn't know whether to feel excited, annoyed or depressed over the fact as he finally reached his plane.  
  
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Author's Note: Geez, what seems to be Dorothy's problem? After three years she is finally going to see her brother again and all she feels is remorse towards it? Even Quatre, I wonder how his 'welcome home' is going to turn out like by Dorothy and his father? By the way, forgive the bad name for Quatre's family company, it took me forever to think of a name and that's all I could think off :'( This is my first fanfic so if you were wondering why it's so poorly written, that is the reason _. But I really want to get better. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Review this story; I would really appreciate some feedback on how you think this story is going so far, or maybe some advice on how I could improve it. Also I want to thank James Chompie for giving me suggestions on what to put in the story. I know there wasn't any Quatre/Relena moments in this chapter but I'll be getting there, just need to get everything setup first :D I am working on the next chapter now so hopefully it will get better. Bye for now ^_^  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	2. Chapter 2

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
********************************  
  
" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Having a couple of hours till the plane was to touch down, Quatre was starting to get a little restless. He wasn't able to sleep so all he had been doing since he got on the plane as think about home and his family. With the way things were before he left, he couldn't help but think if things were going to get worse when he arrived or if he would be sent off to another company to do work for another few years on the other side of the world somewhere. Why him? Why did he have to be the one to carry on in his father's foot steps? Dorothy wouldn't mind doing it, why not her? There were other men more experienced yet more knowledgeable about this sort of thing then him.   
  
Sure he had been brought up on it since his father forced him to learn the ways of the company whether he liked it or not but he was still a teenager, it scared him in a way knowing so much when he still had high school to finish. To think so many people envied him for acquiring so much knowledge at such a young age. Personally he wish he could give it to them, it wasn't something he was proud of. After all it wasn't what he wanted. Sighing to himself in defeat he figured he   
  
might as well do something useful then think about such problems which couldn't be solved. Opening up his briefcase he pulled out his laptop, he figured he might as well do some programming. Macro-programming seemed to grab his attention so he figured he might as well do some work on that.  
  
He had no idea how much time had gone by, he was getting so indulged into his programming that he didn't notice someone was trying to talk to him. Not getting his attention the man next to him tapped him on the shoulder which suddenly made Quatre jump. Hiding his frustration he turned his head to the man sitting next to him. The man gave him an apologetic smile and turned his vision to the air hostess standing beside him in the aisle. Quatre looked up towards the air hostess; she was smiling sheepishly at him which made his cheeks slightly flush in embarrassment, "Sorry about that."  
  
The air hostess continued to smile as him and asked, "Sorry to disturb you sir but I was wondering if there was anything you needed at all? Something to eat or drink?"  
  
Quatre smiled but shook his head in response, "No thank you I'm fine. Sorry for my rudeness before."  
  
"It's quite alright sir, I'm sorry to have bothered you. Please let me know if you need anything later." With that she bowed her head to him and walked on to attend to some more passengers.  
  
Quatre turned his vision back to the man beside him. He had short brown hair with a beard and brown eyes. The man looked to be around the same age as his father, "Sorry about my ignorance just now," Quatre apologized.  
  
The man beside him gave him a forgiving smile an said to him, "It's quite alright," before turning him head forward again and closing his eyes. Turning back to his laptop he suddenly heard the man's muffled coughs beside him, his hand holding a handkerchief over his mouth. He seemed to of had a cold or something, Quatre thought since he had done that on several occasions, some coughs almost sounded as if he was choking. It made him worry a little but there wasn't anything he could do for him, he was no doctor after all but he settled down shortly afterwards which was to Quatre's relief since he was almost thinking he couldn't breath.  
  
However, it didn't take long for Quatre to suddenly grow frustrated over his laptop. He mumbled a few curses to himself but didn't notice he actually said that out loud when the man beside him cocked an eye brow at him.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Quatre's eyes widened, mentally kicking himself at the same time, 'What's wrong with me today? That's twice already that I have made a fool of myself.'  
  
"Um, sorry. I hadn't meant for that to be spoken out loud."  
  
The man just gave out a few chuckles at the young lad beside him, 'Every sentence he has spoken so far is of apology. What a well raised young man.'  
  
"Please, it's nothing to apologize over. I couldn't help but notice you are doing a bit of programming there. Is that what's growing your frustration?"  
  
Quatre nods and shamefully replies, "I am having a bit of trouble putting this data into a certain sequence and no matter what I try it's not doing what I want it to. I'm just about ready to give up on this." He mumbled that last sentence more to himself then to the man beside him.   
  
"I would be more then happy to show you how to do it."  
  
Quatre was stunned by his answer, 'Had the man been watching him all this time?' He didn't want to trouble him over such a thing but with the way things were going he would snap the laptop in half soon.  
  
"If you wouldn't mind, I didn't mean to disturb you from your sleep."  
  
"Really, it's no trouble at all," accepting his assistance Quatre handed the laptop over to the man. As he started typing away he continued, "I use these sorts of programs every once and a while when I work. They can be quite useful and handy in times of need." He said smiling, "Oh, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. My name is Mr. Darlian."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Darlian. I'm Quatre, Quatre Raberba Winner." Quatre gave him a friendly smile and held his hand out to him as Mr. Darlian kindly returned the gesture, shaking his hand firmly.  
  
'Winner, I have heard that somewhere before,' Mr. Darlian pondered as he released his hand from Quatre's.  
  
He wondered about this as he worked his way through Quatre's laptop. Upon finishing the problem Quatre had, the realization of the name popped into his head, "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Dorothy Catalonia Winner by any chance would you?" Mr. Darlian asked as he handed Quatre back his laptop.  
  
The sudden question almost made Quatre drop his laptop, 'How does he know Dorothy?' He thought to himself.  
  
Out loud he answered, "Yes, she is my older twin sister."  
  
"Twin? I would never have realized."  
  
"Haha, yes, you are not the only one who has said that. But how is it that you know her?"  
  
"Oh, she is one of my daughter's friends. Do you know her? Her name is Relena."  
  
Quatre thought about it for a while but the name didn't ring a bell. It was stupid of him to even think if he knew her or not, how can he know his sister's friends if he hadn't even been home to know? Even so, before he even left he wasn't very close to his sister which upset him deeply. He cared about Dorothy a lot but for some reason she always seemed to want to fight with him over something. To her, he never did anything right, no matter what it was and she prided herself on making him feel so pitiful. He could never figure out what it was that made her feel so much hate towards him.   
  
Mr. Darlian started growing concerned when he noticed Quatre's eyes sadden by his words; he looked deep in thought as well but before he could say anything more they heard the plane's intercom come to life. The feminine voice announced to all passengers that the plane would be landing in a few minutes so everyone must fasten their seat belts to be ready for landing. As Quatre fastened his seat belt, he leaned his back further into the seat and said to Mr. Darlian, "I don't know any of my sister's friends." As he said this, Mr. Darlian just starred back at him with a blank expression. Quatre just gave him a weak smile and closed his eyes, 'I don't even know my own sister let alone her friends,' he thought.  
  
********************************  
  
Dorothy and Relena seated themselves in the waiting area of the terminals as they waited for the arrival of the plane. Dorothy sat up straight in her chair and peered down at her watch.  
  
"They should be here soon."  
  
Relena nodded but kept her eyes out at the long aisle ways of the terminal from where they had previously entered.  
  
Dorothy noticed this and asked, "What's up with you?"  
  
"Just wondering when my mother will be showing up."  
  
"She should be here soon."  
  
Silence filled the air between Dorothy and Relena after that. Relena couldn't help but notice something was troubling Dorothy. In fact, she had been acting on edge for a week or so now. 'Maybe she is just getting nervous about her brother's return home. She hasn't seen him for a few years after all.' Now thinking about it, she didn't even know Dorothy had a brother until she had told her about him coming home a couple of weeks ago. Relena had known Dorothy for about two and a half years, ever since she came to her school two years ago. Relena admired Dorothy a lot when she first met her even now she still admired her strength and logic. She stood up for her beliefs; she was smart, pretty and never took crap from anyone. Relena envied her a lot but even now, there were still many things she didn't know about Dorothy. Like her brother, why hadn't she even mentioned him once while they had known each other? 'Did they have a fight or something?'   
  
With curiosity taking the better of her she stated, "You must be happy to be able to see your brother again."  
  
Dorothy just snorted at that remark, but continued to watch for the plane.  
  
"Did something happen between the two of you or something?"  
  
Dorothy didn't answer; it was as if she didn't even hear her since she suddenly noticed her glaring at the sight of something. Looking in her direction Relena saw passengers flooding in.  
  
'The planes arrived already? I can't believe I missed it,' Dorothy thought as she stood up from her chair, searching the crowds for her little brother. Not having much luck she noticed Relena calmly stand from her seat beside her and walked towards the crowds of people, not even once saying anything to Dorothy, let alone gesture for her to follow. Dorothy glared at the back of her friend but since she had no idea as to where Quatre would be she decided to follow after Relena.  
  
Quatre was behind Mr. Darlian as they walked into the terminal. Quatre waited while Mr. Darlian went to pick up his suitcase before heading back over to him. But before Mr. Darlian could look around for his family he suddenly heard someone shouting.  
  
"Father!" Relena called out to him as she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him in a big tight hug.  
  
"Relena, it's good to see you again. How have you been?" Mr. Darlian asked, his smile widening at the pleasures of seeing his daughter again.  
  
"I have been fine. How are you? Did your trip go well?"  
  
As Mr. Darlian went into a little detail about his trip Quatre couldn't help but smile at the two. They looked so happy, he could tell that they are very close, for some reason he couldn't help but notice there to be no resemblance between the two but pushed that thought away, 'She probably has the looks of her mother,' he thought. It saddened him looking at the sight though, longing over something which he knew he could never have but even so, he would be happy for them.  
  
"By the way," Mr. Darlian started as he scanned the area, "Where is your mother?"  
  
"I'm sure she's just running a little late," Relena answered as she hugged her father again.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me." Mr. Darlian turned to Quatre who was standing beside them, still smiling at them.  
  
"Forgive my rudeness Quatre, this is my daughter Relena. Relena, this is Quatre, Dorothy's younger twin brother."  
  
Relena stepped away from her father to greet Quatre properly, "Nice to meet you Quatre," she said as she raised her hand to him, giving him a weak smile.  
  
Quatre gave her one of his sweetest smiles as he raised his hand to shake hers, "It's a pleasure to meet you too Miss Relena." As he took her hand, he couldn't help but glance over her form. She was wearing a long sleeved, dark grey top which figured her upper body nicely and wore black jeans which went tight around her thighs but slowly started flaring after the knees. Her eye level was up to the base of his neck so he was a few inches taller but he had to admit that she had the right curves on her to make many guys fawn over her. Her hair completely down and went down to her elbows in length, she had soft creamy coloured skin and didn't appear to be wearing much make-up, which made her appearance all the more natural. One of her best features had to be her aquamarine eyes. He could drown in the beauty of them, but what he didn't notice was that he already was.   
  
Upon observing her he couldn't help but notice there to be sadness within those eyes, her smile had been a forced one which she gave just to not look rude so her face could pass as a smiling happy one but her eyes told another story. He was curious as to find what it was that was troubling her but realization suddenly came over him that he had been staring at her, the hand shake had ended a while ago and all he was doing now was holding her hand. 'What am I doing!' Quatre thought to himself as he carefully released his hand from hers as to not make it seem noticeable that he held it just a bit longer then intended. He turned his head off to the side as to hide the slight blushing he could feel swell up in his cheeks.  
  
Relena just gave him a confused look at his strange actions but didn't say anything, not taking notice of his slight blushing. Although it didn't go   
  
totally unnoticed by Mr. Darlian, he just smiled and shook his head at the little performance of it all.   
  
"Would you by any chance have seen my sister Dorothy anywhere?" Quatre blurted out, hoping a little conversation would calm his nerves.  
  
"I'm right here," called a voice from behind him. When Quatre turned towards the voice of the person he noticed he was standing only inches away from them. The sudden closeness of the figure beside him shocked him at first but when he saw it was Dorothy he almost wanted to cry with happiness.  
  
"It's been a while," Dorothy said as she stepped back from him, tilting her head up at him.  
  
"Dorothy! It's so good to see you again," Quatre greeted over-excitedly, as he stepped towards her, wanting to give her a friendly hug. Dorothy on the other hand pushed him back before he could do so, just a little prod as to stop him in his tracks, not wanting to put a little performance on for Relena and Mr. Darlian.   
  
They both started talking again so their attention was averted away from them now. Quatre was shocked by her actions, not to mention hurt but decided not to press it on any further. She gave him a sly smile and started walking circles around him, examining him carefully.  
  
"My, you've certainly grown a bit while you were away haven't you?" She said out loud, more to herself then to him. He remained silent as watched her from the corner of his eye. He wasn't the only one who grown a bit. He almost didn't recognize her at first. She was a bit taller then Relena since her eye level went up to his chin. Her body had filled out more, while her hair had certainly over grown itself as well. From what he could remember her hair had only went half way down her back in length, now it went down to around mid-thigh length. Her eyes were still as he remembered they gave off the image of strength yet there was always a hint of coldness in them when ever they were gazing at him.   
  
Suddenly he felt her hand squeeze around his upper arm, he looked at her in curiosity while she continued to give him that sly smile of hers, "You have been working out a bit haven't you?"  
  
Quatre blushed a little by her question, "Um, not really. You know I don't really get the time to do things like that."  
  
"Stop being so modest," Dorothy snapped at him, "You definitely have more of a build now then what you did the last time I saw you and I doubt that you had just sprouted like that over the last few years."  
  
Quatre just looked at her blankly but slightly nodded to her, turning his gaze away from her in disappointment, 'Still the same girl she always was,' he thought to himself.  
  
Dorothy turned to greet Relena and her father, her shallow expression now changing to a sweet smiling one.  
  
As he watched her talk to them we wondered how she could just do that all the time. One minute she can be angry and cold, then all of a sudden she can be sweet and innocent. However, most of her little innocent performances were just a cover-up from what she really felt and that saddened Quatre a lot to see her like that. No matter how much he would try to be close to her he seemed to make things worse between them, so all he could do was leave her be and hope that someday she will show her true self, one day.  
  
Turning his gaze away from his sister he noticed Relena was standing on her own, watching her father and Dorothy converse with each other. He was still curious as to find out just what it was that was making this girl so depressed, it made him upset just looking at her. While making his way over to her, she caught sight of this and wondered what it was he wanted, she was not in the mood for pointless chit-chat.  
  
Quatre noticed the cold expression on him but that wasn't going to scare him off, he had become immune to it since Dorothy has been doing the same thing to him nearly all of their lives so it has lost it's effect.   
  
Smiling at her he said, "It must be nice to see your father again."  
  
Relena wasn't getting where this conversation was leading but all she did was nod in response, turning her vision once again to her father and Dorothy, there was nothing else she could really say. She could see that he was just trying to be friendly but she couldn't bring herself to go along with it.  
  
"So, how are you?"  
  
"Fine, how are you?"  
  
"I'm alright, but a little concerned."  
  
"About what?"  
  
There was a slight pause before Quatre decided to continue, "How are you? Really?" He asked sternly.  
  
This grabbed Relena's attention, 'What was he implying by that exactly?' She didn't know whether to shout in his face to tell him to mind his own business, tell him that she didn't know what he was talking about or, maybe, just maybe open herself up to him. But how could she? She didn't know him, how was he able to determine that she was upset just by meeting her only a few minutes ago?  
  
Turning her gaze over to meet his, she was ready to go along with the second idea and tell him nothing was wrong but looking into his eyes she, for some reason couldn't bring herself to give him this lie. His eyes were filled with sympathy yet, some form of, understanding? She felt as if he could see right through her, as if her emotions were held right out to him. How is that possible? She mentally shook her head out of her thoughts and said what she totally didn't expect, "I don't want to burden you with my problems."   
  
'Huh? Where did that come from? Why didn't you tell him to just back off?' She mentally cursed herself for her weakness; at times like this she wished she had Dorothy's strength. Quatre just stared at her, she was getting cold shivers down her spine at his continuous stares but until she heard him say, "I'm sorry." She didn't know whether to feel relieved or upset.  
  
"Well Quatre, we better be heading off now, we need to get you home before father returns," Dorothy said as she walked over to him.  
  
"Has my things arrived home yet?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, it arrived a few hours ago. Now let's get going," Dorothy replied getting a little frustrated.  
  
"Let me just say goodbye first," Quatre said as he walked over to Mr. Darlian.  
  
Mr. Darlian watched as Quatre made his way over to him.  
  
"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Darlian, I hope we will be seeing each other again soon." Quatre smiled as he raised his hand out towards him.  
  
"Yes, it was nice meeting you too Quatre. I hope we will be seeing you again soon."  
  
Ending the hand shake Dorothy started heading out the terminal, not even turning back once to see if he was following. As Quatre started heading off after her he couldn't help but stop in his tracks to see Relena once more. She gave him a curious look as he said, "Forgive my rudeness earlier. I hope we can get the chance to talk again soon." She continued to just stare blankly at him as he bowed his head to her and walked off to catch up with his sister. It didn't take him long since she was stopped in her tracks, talking to an older woman. As he approached them the older woman turned to him and said, "Oh, so you must be Dorothy's brother. I am Relena's mother; it's a pleasure to meet you." She took his hand into both of hers and shook it firmly, giving him a big friendly smile.  
  
"Yes, I am pleased to make your acquaintance too Mrs. Darlian. I had the pleasure of meeting your husband and daughter too."  
  
As he said this, he felt a slight flinch within her grasp before she released her hands from his.  
  
"I apologize on her behalf if she happened to say anything rude to you Quatre."  
  
Quatre just gave her a puzzled look but just before he could say something her vision darted over his shoulder, her lips curving up into a smile as she walked past Quatre, raising her arms in the process. Quatre and Dorothy watched as Mrs. Darlian embraced in a tight hug but as Relena turned up from around the corner, Mrs. Darlian released her hold on Mr. Darlian and gave her an angry expression.  
  
"Relena, I sincerely hope you did not say anything to offend Quatre here. Do you not know who he is?"  
  
Relena wasn't affected by Mrs. Darlian's words. She knows how much her mother seems to love insulting her intelligence, all she said in response was, "Yes I do know who he is, after all he is my friend's brother. And I did not say anything to offend him."  
  
Mrs. Darlian didn't look too convinced by Relena's explanation so Quatre added, "Mrs. Darlian, I can assure you that Miss Relena had said or done nothing to upset me. I may have only just met her but I can't see her as being a very offencive person."  
  
Relena was shocked by what he had just said, although she didn't show it on the outside. Watching her mother she saw her stern expression fade into a sign of relief. Relena's eyes narrowed at her mother as she gave apologies to Quatre over her paranoid behavior. 'How can she apologize to him when it wasn't him who she had misjudged in the first place?'  
  
"Hahaha but you know Quatre," she started as she got all the laughing and apologizing out of the way, "You are too nice for your own good. You are quick to judge people for the better when you hardly know anything about them. After all, they could easily use your trust in them to their advantage some day," Mrs. Darlian said 'as-a-matter-of-factly'.  
  
Relena knew she was referring to her in that department; her mother never seemed to pass up the opportunity to insult her or embarrass her in some ways. She had to bite her tongue as to not blurt out something she knew she would regret. Quatre wasn't effected by Mrs. Darlian's words, she hasn't been the first person to judge him; hell, it seemed no matter who he meets people were always quick to find something to bag about him. However, looking over at Relena he saw that her mothers words had indeed affected her, the glassy look in her eyes told him so. She was hiding it pretty well though, no one would have taken a second glance at her to even notice if she was upset, but no matter how much she may have wanted to hide it, it wouldn't by pass him since it was a look he knew all too well in his own eyes.  
  
"Mrs. Darlian, I appreciate your concern but you can rest assured that my judgment is based on what I purely believe and not by what others think. That would be considered someone else's opinion, not my own. I hope that my judgment on Miss Relena isn't to be proven otherwise but if so, I would prefer that I see it from the one I am judging, not by another which holds grudges."  
  
Relena's eyes widened at his response, 'Was he just standing up for me? Up to my mother!?'  
  
Mr. Darlian was shocked by his wife's words but his surprise was suddenly drawn to Quatre by his response.  
  
Dorothy cocked an eyebrow at Quatre's words; if she didn't know any better those words could easily be taken the wrong way. Smirking at the idea of a fight happening she turned her anxious gaze over to Relena's mother, ready for all hell to break loose.  
  
Quatre stood his ground and carefully watched for Mrs. Darlian's reaction. He amazed himself by what he had just said, 'Where did that come from? I could have gone about that in a more suitable approach. I hope she doesn't get too offended.'  
  
He was bracing himself for the worse on the inside but kept a stern expression at her on the outside. Mrs. Darlian grinned at Quatre's words, much to everyone's surprise. Quatre kept a straight face as she walked up to him, he was in a panic until she patted him on the shoulder, looking quite impressed by his words, "So you do have some back bone, that's what I like to see."  
  
Quatre stiffened in fright by her touch, while Dorothy was fuming, she was more then annoyed now, 'Why does everything always go to his favour all the time!'  
  
"Quatre, we have to go," she spoke bluntly, slight irritation in her tone.  
  
Quatre nodded to his sister than looked up at Mrs. Darlian, "Please, excuse us. It was nice meeting you."  
  
"It was a pleasure. Until next time," she replied.  
  
Quatre nodded his farewell before he and his sister made their way out the closest exit, before disappearing from sight.  
  
"Dear, I wish you hadn't used such harsh words to Mr. Quatre in that way," Mr. Darlian said as he put his hand on Mrs. Darlian's shoulder.  
  
"What ever do you mean?" Mrs. Darlian replied innocently as she squeezed her husband's hand, watching them go, "(sigh) He makes a fine a fine gentleman, more so then that 'other' one." Mrs. Darlian fully emphasized the word 'other' as she looked over her shoulder to Relena.  
  
Relena just narrowed her eyes at her, she was in no mood to answer back, plus she knew that her mother would snap if she did.  
  
"Come on dear, let's get going shall we?" Mr. Darlian insisted as he gently pressed his hand on her back, guiding her down the aisle way towards another exit further to the right.  
  
As Relena followed her parents she couldn't help but gaze at the sliding exit doors from where Dorothy and Quatre had just exited. Exhaling in frustration she turned her head back to the back of her parents, following them without a word said by any of them.  
  
********************************  
  
As the chauffer drove the limo through the front gates of the Winner mansion to park beside the front door, Quatre marveled at the sight before him, 'Was this really their house?' When the car came to a stop the chauffer opened the door for the both of them. Dorothy immediately made her way to the front doors as their butler held the doors open widely for their arrival. She stopped in her tracks when she realized Quatre wasn't even beside her. When she turned around she noticed Quatre was still by the car, looking dumbstruck as he looked around at the settings set before him. She was losing her patience quickly as she placed both fists to her hips, tapping her foot in the process.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Quatre lowered his gaze to meet hers and answered, "I didn't realize we had moved again. When did this happen?"  
  
"Two years ago," she replied.  
  
"I assume we have new schools too?"  
  
Dorothy nodded, "Well, when you are ready to come in Peter here will escort you to your room," Dorothy said as she gestured over to the butler at the door. Without another word she walked into the house and disappeared from view.  
  
Quatre gazed upon the house once more. It was certainly bigger than their old house, it seemed like a tradition for them to move up to larger mansions after a certain amount of years. It was nice he had to give it that, every room on the second floor had a balcony surrounded by ivory coloured banisters; the grey-stoned walls along with the crème finished window outlines looked exquisite. The garden beds which surrounded the house was beautiful, it looked as if nearly every flower in the world was resting right here on their land, not that he was an expert on flowers but that's how it appeared to him. And taking a guess the backyard would probably be twice the size.   
  
But being surrounded by this saddened him, he had never been able to settle down in one place for very long, before he could even call a place home he was already at another location, having to go through the motions of having to settle in some place new again. He knew he was being a bit selfish but really, their last home had no problems, why the urge to move again? Shrugging his shoulders he walked into the house, he was only asking himself questions which wouldn't really have an answer to them. As he entered he stopped and gazed at the size of the place further from the inside, this was too much.   
  
"Welcome home again Mr. Quatre. May I escort you to your room?" Peter asked him.  
  
Quatre gave him a warm hearted smile and said, "Thank you Peter, it is good to see you again. Please, I would be delighted to have you escort me there."  
  
The butler smiled and gestured for him to follow, as Quatre was doing so he started taking in more of the detailing of his surroundings as they walked.   
  
The butler led him up the winding staircase and walked down the left hallway to the very last door. He opened the door for him and gestured him inside, "This room had been chosen for you Mr. Quatre. If there are any problems please let me know."  
  
Looking about the room Quatre noted that it looked pretty much the same as how he had left it from the last house they had, with the exception of a few things like wider space and different scenery from the large spanned windows but they were very minor things to him. He would have preferred a whole new arrangement for his room but it was the thought that counts and he assumed that it was to make him feel more at home again. He noticed his suit cases hadn't been touched either, they were all sitting beside his bed on the floor, awaiting for themselves to be un-packed.  
  
"No, everything looks fine thank you. I hope there wasn't too much trouble in getting the required things I will be needing now that I'm home again."  
  
"Everything you had requested had arrived yesterday, sir. If there is anything else you will need please do let me know."  
  
"Thank you, and I'm sorry for your trouble."  
  
The butler smiled and bowed to him. Before closing the door behind him he said, "It is good to have you back again Mr. Quatre, I know that we are all happy to have you back again."  
  
Quatre smiled as the old butler left the room, though the smile faded from his features as the door clicked behind him. Overwhelmed with everything, not to mention tired he flopped over onto his double sized bed, turning over so that his back was pressed against the mattress and not his stomach. Staring up at the ceiling his mind started flooding through with what will be going on tomorrow, he would be starting school again, after so long too. He had always done his studies with his personal teacher after working hours, he never hardly got time for himself to do anything but study and work, this might actually be a good break. Glancing over at his desk he noticed the piles of clothing all neatly folded for him, he guessed it was his uniform, plus beside it were piles of things which he would need for his specific lessons. Closing his eyes he wanted to allow himself some rest before doing things like un-packing and organizing himself for tomorrow, but most importantly to prepare himself for his confrontation with his father.  
  
********************************  
  
Downstairs in the living room, Dorothy was sitting in one of the couches reading a novel. Even though it was nice and quiet she couldn't concentrate on the book and couldn't even sit still. Giving up on that she headed over to the narrow wooden cupboards to the top left corner of the room. Placing on a pair of gloves she grabbed hold of one of the sabers and moved to a larger spacing in the room. Thrusting and swinging at her imaginary opponent she wondered for a bit if whether Quatre still remembered fencing or not.   
  
They had been brought up on this since they were young so it was one of the things which they had to master. She enjoyed the sport so it didn't bother her in the slightest that they were to learn it as their recreation sport. She felt a sense of power when holding the saber in her hands, she felt even stronger when it came to her facing Quatre. From him facing her in a match, it appears like a normal duel but inside her it was like a ragging war which she feels she must win no matter what.  
  
As she kept practicing her routine steps she wondered if whether or not Quatre had improved on his skills from the last time they dueled. It had been so long, she longed to have another battle. She smirked at the idea and made a fast yet strong thrust to the front of her as if it were Quatre in front of her. 'I will be looking forward to challenging you again brother. I would hope that your skills haven't withered away while you were away, you will be needing more than what you had back then.'  
  
"Miss. Dorothy, there is a call for Mr. Quatre on the line. He happens to be a co-worker of his. Although, Mr. Quatre would be resting at the moment so should I still take it up to him?" Peter said from the entrance of the living room.  
  
She had her back to him as he said this and sighed in frustration as she lowered her saber. She was about to tell him to take it to Quatre since she didn't care if he was resting or not, it wasn't her phone call. Although, she thought the better of it since this could be her chance to check up on what Quatre had been up to.  
  
"Hmm, yes I'm sure Quatre would be pretty tired from his trip. Let me take the call for him," Dorothy said as she removed the her gloves.  
  
Peter nodded to her before leaving the room.  
  
Putting her gloves and saber back in their rightful positions she headed over to the vid-phone on the desk to the right side of the room. She couldn't believe that even though he had been home for not even an hour yet she was already doing errands for him like she was his little servant. 'Oh well, no matter, let's see if Quatre really has been doing his 'job' up to our father's standards.'  
  
Taking a seat at the desk she accepted the call, it seemed to be one from a normal telephone since there was 'voice only' on the screen so she proceeded with answering, "Hello, my name is Dorothy Catalonia Winner. I am sorry but Quatre is resting from his return trip home. If you would like,I will get him to ring you again later if you would give me your name and phone number." She quivered at her formality tone, she really could pass as a secretary if she wanted to, which made her all the angrier but she wasn't about to lose her cool just yet when the co-worker unexpectedly answered, "Oh no don't worry about that. Could you just pass on to him that I was sorry that I couldn't make it to his farewell party. I didn't get a chance to say my goodbyes to him since I was busy with paperwork at the time. Would you just pass that onto him if you wouldn't mind?"  
  
Dorothy smirked at his request, "It will be my pleasure, I'm sure Quatre would be delighted as to hear from you. When was this 'farewell party' of his by the way?"  
  
"Ah, that was earlier on during the late morning to early afternoon I would think, I regretted not being able to make it but there was a big deadline   
  
on these papers so..."  
  
"Don't worry; he will be happy to get this message from you."  
  
Getting down his name and a few more details she hung up with much satisfaction.   
  
"Farwell party huh? At the time he was suppose to come home he decided to STAY FOR A PARTY!?" Dorothy's voice rose as it went from her normal tone to a louder tone.  
  
"Well, if he thinks he was going to get away with this he's got another thing coming."  
  
Glancing up at the grandfather clock, the time read six-fifteen. Their father should be arriving back soon. Her smile widened as she exited the living room.  
  
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Author's Note: I hope this chapter wasn't 'too' long. Getting all the boring stuff out of the way I can finally start on the more interesting things with Quatre starting school ^_^ This is my first fanfic so I hope it's not too bad for a first. PLEASE REVIEW, I would really appreciate some feedback. Thank you again James Chompie ^_- for giving me some more help once again. I will be working on Chapter 3 shortly.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	3. Chapter 3

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Adjusting his tie, Quatre pushed it into his jacket and examined himself in the mirror. His school uniform consisted of a black blazer with golden buttons and cufflinks down the bottom of each sleeve. On his left breast pocket there was embroidery of the school logo in gold stitching. The logo has a mountain in the foreground, with the sun sneaking over the top of it in the background along with its light rays. Down the bottom it had the abbreviation of the school name T.Y.H.S (Tooi Yoake High School). Under the blazer he wore a white shirt with a black tie which had gold stripes going diagonally across it. To finish off the outfit he wore dark grey pants and formal black shoes which were also a requirement to the uniform policy. He quite liked the uniform; it was quite different from the colours he usually wore.   
  
Walking over to his desk he started packing his bag with the materials he would need. His back pack was the same colour of his pants and the front pocket held the school emblem with the gold stitching, once again. Swinging the back pack over his right shoulder he headed out of his room and made his way to the dinning room to have breakfast.  
  
When he got there he noticed Dorothy was already there, she was half way through her breakfast. Upon seeing him enter she gave him a sly smile and said, "Good Morning Quatre, how are you this morning?"  
  
Sitting opposite from her he said, "Good Morning Dorothy, I'm fine thank you, how about you?"  
  
Still giving him that smile he was starting to feel very uncomfortable but didn't let it show, "I had the best sleep last night," she started, "Actually, I'm feeling rather cheerful at the moment. Did 'you' sleep well?" Her grin widened as she said the last sentence, leaning in over the table a little to watch his reaction.   
  
Quatre just stared at her for a while until the realization came to him as to what she was talking about, "Oh, yeah, I'm alright. It was to be expected I guess..."  
  
She noticed the saddened expression before his face and wanted to laugh at the sight of it but before she could say anything more one of the maids from the kitchen arrived to hand Quatre his food. Smiling at him the maid said, "Good morning Mr. Quatre, did you sleep well last night?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," Quatre replied, returning a smile back to her as to not rouse up any concern she may feel seeing him upset. As he looked down at the food he was about ready to collapse, was she feeding just him or ten other people?  
  
"Wow, this looks delicious," Quatre said, trying to recover a little from the amount of food she served to him, "I hope you didn't go through too much trouble making this."  
  
"Oh it was no trouble at all; I would be more then delighted to make you more if you're still hungry. After all, growing men tend to eat a fair lot don't they? Which is why I'm not too sure if I served you enough."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened as she said this, she had given him five large sized pancakes, with three fried eggs and a mountain of bacon with two pieces of toast, a bowl of fruit was close to over flowing and a very large glass of orange juice. He had no problem with the food, it smelt great and he couldn't wait to dig in, it was the quantity which she had given him which was making him worry. Not wanting to upset the old lady he kindly said, "Ha ha, no this will be fine, I'm sure this will definitely fill me up."  
  
The maid chuckled at him and patted him on the shoulder, "Hehe, I hope so but just incase I will go make you some more alright? So if you are still hungry there will be more waiting for you."  
  
Quatre was about to protest but the old maid had already left the room. Shaking his head but smiling at her thoughtfulness he decided that he will try and eat as much as he can for her, as to not waste any of the food.   
  
Dorothy was actually enjoying her morning; she didn't even mind seeing Quatre just now, not until that little performance however. Dorothy glared at him as she watched him eat; what started annoying her was the fact that he wasn't showing hardly any emotion from what happened last night. He use to get so depressed over the most smallest things, and now it seemed that nothing bothered him anymore. Fuming she roughly pushed the chair out from the table and stomped her way out the room, leaving a confused yet surprised Quatre watching her leave. Her day was going to start going down hill from here already, she could feel it and she had only been up for an hour too.  
  
As she reached the front door she picked up her back pack from the floor and started heading out. Peter noticed this and quickly rushed to the front door, "Miss Dorothy!" He called out to her.  
  
Dorothy had already opened the front door of her gold aston martin as he called for her. She raised an eyebrow at him as she waited for him to continue.  
  
"Are you leaving already Miss Dorothy?"  
  
She narrowed her gaze at him as he said that, "What does it look like I'm doing? Ofcourse I'm leaving." With that said she got into the car and put her seat belt on, leaving the door open to hear what else the old butler had to say.  
  
He ignored her sarcasm but continued, "What about Mr. Quatre? He doesn't know the way to your new school yet."  
  
That's it, Dorothy's teeth were clenched tightly as to stop her from saying anything and her grip on the steering wheel was that over powering that her knuckles her turning white.  
  
Slamming the door shut she started the car and made her way out the gate, putting her foot down as she exited the gates.  
  
Peter just stared after her and shook his head. She had been acting so up tight lately that it scared him to even be a few feet near her; it was like asking for a death wish if he even tried talking to her. Sighing to himself he closed the front door and started wondering as to what he could do to help Quatre get to school. He would take him himself but thinking a little more about it he wouldn't want to embarrass the boy, after all getting dropped off to school in a limo would indeed rouse a few students up, not to mention he wasn't a little boy anymore. Pondering about it further an idea suddenly sprouted into mind. Hitting the bottom of his clenched fist into his other palm he headed over to the study room and got out a piece of paper and pen from one of the desk draws and started writing.  
  
About fifteen minutes after he got handed his food, Quatre had just barely been able to finish it and he felt about ready to explode too. He enjoyed it though and that was the main thing, 'At least I don't have to worry about eating until dinner time now,' Quatre thought.  
  
"Would you like more Mr. Quatre?" The maid asked as she held in her hand a plate full of more food for him to eat. Taking a quick glance at it he felt about ready to faint, the plate looked about doubled the size of the one he had and held more then doubled the amount of food as well. How was he going to get out of this? He really didn't want to upset her by turning her food down since she had gone through the trouble of making it but if he had just one more mouth full he knew he would burst.  
  
"Mr. Quatre, you should be heading to school now if you are to find where your classes will be," Peter said as he entered the dinning room.  
  
Quatre nodded as relief rushed over him, just the excuse he needed, "I'm sorry Gloria but I really should be going."  
  
"Oh that's quite alright Mr. Quatre, enjoy yourself alright?"  
  
Quatre got out of his chair with a bit of difficulty since all the food hadn't completely settled down in his stomach yet but after taking a few steps to the door it didn't take long for him to feel better again.  
  
Picking up his back pack which he had left earlier on down near the entrance of the dinning room, he started heading to the front door to where Peter was waiting, holding the door open for him.   
  
"Here are the directions on how to get to your school Mr. Quatre," Peter said as he handed him the piece of paper, "I would take you myself but I'm sure you would rather find your own way there instead."  
  
Quatre took the piece of paper but looked at it with a little confusion, "Oh, I was going to have Dorothy take me there, just for today so I would know where it is."  
  
'That would have been a good idea too, if she hadn't of left already,' Peter thought.  
  
"She has already left sir."  
  
"Oh," was all Quatre could reply.  
  
Peter noticed the saddened tone in his voice and decided to add, "She said that she had some study to catch up on so she had to leave early. She didn't want to disturb you eating breakfast so I wrote down the location of the school for you to find yourself."  
  
Quatre almost wanted to laugh at that remark, like Dorothy would care about that. He should have been expecting this; they were going to start with the whole 'avoiding-each-other' game all over again. He thought that they would have matured enough to stop with the senseless yet pointless fights over nothing already.  
  
Shrugging it off he gave Peter a weak smile and said, "Well, I better go now, thanks for this and I'll see you all when I get back."  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Quatre, please enjoy yourself."  
  
With that Quatre exited the mansion and headed over to his black BMW. Putting on a pair of black sunglasses he started up the car and headed out the front gates, turning in the required direction to head to school, 'This should be a rather interesting day,' he thought as he headed down the road.  
  
********************************  
  
Looking down at his street directory once more, Quatre memorized where he had to go and placed the thick book back into the glove compartment. Letting down the roof top of the car he let the wild wind blow over his face and through his platinum blonde hair. He smiled at the feel of it and took in a deep breath. He really couldn't wait to start school, he had been so use to working in their family company and had been around people twice his age for so long that he had totally forgotten what it was like to associate with people his own age. This would be a good break, plus the work load couldn't be half as much as what he was use to. However, his mind started flooding out the memories of what had happened last night, so much for the peaceful family reunion he had been hoping to have.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Quatre and Dorothy were already seated at the table with their food sitting in front of them but patiently waited for the arrival of their father. Not a word was spoken between the two since they had seated themselves and still remained silent until their father made his entrance. Mr. Winner was still dressed in his formal attire but had removed his blazer and tie. Upon reaching the table he took glance at over at Quatre. Quatre had kept his eyes on him ever since he had entered the room and still continued to until his father greeted, "Dorothy, Quatre," giving eye contact to the both of them as he said their names. He sat down at his rightful end at the head of the table while Quatre and Dorothy sat right down at the other side.  
  
"Good evening father," Dorothy greeted, smiling brightly at him.  
  
"Father," Quatre greeted using his name like his father did with him.   
  
Mr. Winner smirked at the reply but started eating his dinner, along with Dorothy and Quatre following after him.  
  
Silence still continued on between the family as they ate, the only sounds that could be heard were from their cutlery making contact with their food, knives scraping across plates and the muffled munching of their food. Mr. Winner watched his two children from the corner of his eye but mostly kept an eye on Quatre. He marveled at how much Quatre had grown from their time apart, he had grown a lot taller, he had a bit of a build on him now and his facial expression gave off a sense of maturity and wisdom.  
  
"I assume there were no problems while you were away?" Mr. Winner asked, breaking the silence.  
  
Quatre continued to keeping his gaze firmly on his food as he replied, "Not at all father."  
  
Mr. Winner nodded and said, "Good," as he continued on eating.   
  
He held high hopes for Quatre and while he had been gone he hadn't received any forms of complaint or concern over the judgments Quatre had made on his behalf overseas and for that he was grateful, it showed that Quatre really held a great deal of potential. He did however receive a couple of minor calls when he had first arrived, some of the chief executive officers working along side with Quatre had thought of it being a bad joke that a fifteen year old boy was to be running things over there. Mr. Winner didn't take their complaints into account and told them that they were very quick to judge, watch and see what he is capable of and you will soon be regretting your words just now. Surely enough they did ring again some time afterwards and apologized about what they had said, which made Mr. Winner all the more impressed at that Quatre was handling things just fine.   
  
He might not have been there to supervise but during the earlier years when he had Quatre by his side, watching and taking in what his father was teaching him he started picking things up a lot quicker than what he thought he would. Quatre even got to the stage where he was starting to do more and more for his father and it was from there on that Mr. Winner had to test and see just how far he could go. When he needed a bit of a break he would let Quatre run things until he would return, he left Quatre unsupervised for a few hours at one stage since he had to finish off a lot of paper work but upon returning, things were still running smoothly and none of the co-workers had no complaints either. After that Mr. Winner had let him run things for a day, than two, than a week, than after that with still no worry he let Quatre come with him on a few business trips.   
  
He had no problems with what Quatre did, but there was one thing which he didn't like him doing and no matter how much he would warn him about it he was too stubborn as to not listen and would go about in doing it, which angered Mr. Winner and got him into fights with Quatre all the time. But his constant lecturing seemed to have kicked in after a while so, Mr. Winner tried him out at running a particular company for him, the final test to prove himself and, it seemed to have been a success. Quatre will be the one to take over things after him and at least Mr. Winner could by then finally relax knowing it was in rightful hands, not to mention family ones as well.  
  
"Oh, by the way Quatre," Dorothy suddenly spoke out, snapping Mr. Winner out of his thoughts and grabbing Quatre's attention, "I received a phone call from a man named Thomas Wheeler earlier on today." She placed a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed slowly as she watched for Quatre's reaction, but watched for her father's reaction as well.  
  
'Thomas Wheeler. Ah, that was the man Quatre had recently promoted up to regional manager.' Mr. Winner singed when the thought of that man came to mind. The man was a good worker he had to admit but he just never seemed to know when to keep his place, he liked running things his own way had to be constantly reminded where he stood. He wanted to fire him at one stage but Quatre was against it convinced him to give the man one more chance. He was totally against his promotion too but Quatre gave him logical enough reasons for it and decided to let it go, for now. 'But what could he possibly want now?' Mr. Winner thought.  
  
"Oh, is that so," Quatre said in response to Dorothy. He knew that his father wasn't on good terms with the man but even if it was against what his father thoughts, Quatre took into account what the man had to say, he had many good ideas for business and decided to promote him because of it, he hoped that he would do well with his new position. It would have been good to say farewell to him at the party too but, 'Hang on, what could he have....' Upon thinking this, Quatre's eyes widened.  
  
Dorothy noticed this and smiled at him, 'Busted' she thought. Cutting through at her piece of steak she firmly continued, "He rang up to say how unfortunate it was for him to not be able to attend your farewell party. Since it started at around noon he said had too many things to do so..."  
  
"WHAT!" Mr. Winner yelled as he slammed his cutlery onto the table.  
  
Dorothy was smiling wickedly on the inside but innocently said, "What ever is the problem father? I was just passing on the message he left for Quatre this afternoon."  
  
"Quatre! What is the meaning of this!?" Mr. Winner shouted at him.  
  
Quatre was unnerved by his father's tone of voice and asked, "What's the meaning of what father?"  
  
"You know what I'm talking about Quatre! Don't you dare play dumb with me!"  
  
"He left me a message, what's wrong with that?"  
  
"Quatre! You rang me earlier that day to tell me you had paper work to finish off! You cancel your trip home just so that you could stay and enjoy yourself with the staff!?"  
  
"I did have paper work to finish. But it just so happened that..." Quatre stopped mid-sentence. He knew that if he told him that it was just a setup so that the staff could set the party up for him he would get them into a lot of trouble.  
  
"That 'WHAT' Quatre!?"  
  
"I see no problem that I delayed my trip home just to stay a little longer to finish off some work."  
  
"DON'T change the subject. If I didn't know any better you had been giving the staff special treatment. Instead of working they wasted a few hours of working time just to have fun? They wouldn't do that unless you had been friendly with the staff. Think about the money they would have lost us in doing that."  
  
"What is wrong with being friendly with my co-workers!?" Quatre yelled as he too slammed his cutlery into the table, losing his patience with his father, "For a higher working performance from everyone you must treat them with respect, not with an iron fist."  
  
"That is where you are wrong, treat them with too much kindness and they start taking advantage on it, slacking off, not putting enough effort into their work, and socializing more with other workers other then focusing on the work at hand. Quatre, we have gone through this a hundred times, they are not there to make friends with. They are there to work!"  
  
Quatre had heard similar words earlier on today by Mrs. Darlian, 'You are too nice for your own good. They could easily use your trust in them to their advantage some day.'   
  
Sighing in frustration to those words earlier on, it didn't happen to by pass Mr. Winner's hearing. "Don't give me that attitude Quatre!"  
  
"I don't need anymore of this," Quatre calmly said as he got up from his chair.  
  
"You sit back down right now!" Mr. Winner shouted as he pointed to Quatre's chair.  
  
"Father, I can't be like you. If you can't trust me to do what I think is right..."  
  
"You are 'NOT' the heir to the company 'YET' Quatre," Mr. Winner interrupted, "And believe me, I will not hand it down to you until you start running things the way it should be run. We are well known all around the world and have a reputation to uphold. 'THAT' did not happen by mucking around; it was by hard work and will remain that way. Now, sit back down this instant!"  
  
'It's not like I asked for it in the first place. If you can't trust me to do what I think is right, then why do you still persist on making me the heir to it anyway,' Quatre finished to himself as he left the room, heading up the stairs to his room, leaving a very angry father and a very satisfied sister.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
He still reckoned that his father was wrong; he hadn't been dragged into learning about the company for eight years without learning anything. Yes, he admitted that being too soft on his co-workers will indeed make them take advantage on him, he wasn't stupid, he knew how things worked. He just goes about things in a little more reasonable method than his father. His father did know what he was talking about that night he had to admit; the W.T.P.S Company didn't become one of the most well known software companies in the world by sheer luck. And Quatre wasn't about to try and ruin things for them, he understood how much the company meant to his father, he cared for it more than his family after all but all Quatre wanted to do was lighten things up a bit.   
  
Upon observations on how his father's employees worked they indeed worked hard but they looked so stressed, not to mention uncomfortable whenever he or his father were just passing by. It was as if they had the feeling that, if one of them found one little thing wrong with what they were doing they would be fired right there on the spot. And Quatre didn't want that, he wanted them to be able to work without feeling so on edge. Relaxing them would make them work at a higher degree wouldn't it? Feeling less stressed about the possibilities of being fired and letting them know that you are human would make them feel more at ease right?   
  
Why couldn't his father trust him on things like this? He tested this out when he was sent overseas for three years and from his statistics he found that his employees and co-workers had indeed increased performance from his other results, which he calculated and did himself with a bit of research since his father wouldn't have allowed him to try it out. Being proven wrong wasn't one of the things his father took very lightly, not to mention his sister; he could see where her attitude came from.   
  
'What was up with her this morning anyway,' Quatre pondered as his thoughts drifted to her, 'She seemed cheerful when I came down for breakfast but than she suddenly got moody again when I started eating.' It shocked him that she had actually talked to him too; they almost had an actual conversation, 'Too bad it didn't last for more than five minutes though.'  
  
Stopping at the traffic lights he took in another deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts on everything, for some reason he loved to get himself stressed over almost anything, thinking too much never helped much either, if it was over things like this it just made his head hurt more.   
  
As he watched cars streak past him in the other double lanes he noticed a large park across the road from him, seemed to be a pretty popular since he could see a fair few people walking about, and doing their daily exercise routines as well. Smiling at the sight of it he figured that he might go down there to do some jogging or something as well. Doing a bit of weights indoors all the time tends to get a bit boring after a while.  
  
When the green lights appeared he got himself moving once again and turned right. Looking down at the digital clock in his car, the time read eight-nineteen. School started at eight-forty five so he had plenty of time to look around a bit, like for the office.   
  
Driving along casually he had noticed a few students in the same uniform as his walking to school, at least he was heading in the right direction. Up ahead though he noticed a girl with long honey blonde hair which went down her back. He recognized that hair. Breaking a little he pulled over to the curb and got a side glance of the girl.  
  
"Miss Relena," Quatre called out to her as he bought his car to a stop.  
  
Relena stopped in her tracks and looked over at the car which was beside her, looking over at the driver he removed his sun glasses and smiled brightly at her. The female uniforms appeared to be basically similar to the male ones but instead of pants they wore dark grey skirts which went about mid thigh and wore black mid calf socks with black sandals.  
  
"Quatre, you're starting school already?" She asked, thinking that he would have wanted to rest a bit before starting school already. He had only just arrived late yesterday afternoon.  
  
"The sooner I start the better. Would you like a lift?"  
  
She hesitated at first since she didn't really feel right about hopping into a car with some guy she hardly knew but as she continued on walking again Quatre let the car roll forward as to keep up with her pace. As she looked over at him he was giving her puppy dog eyes and pleaded with her saying, "Please Miss Relena, I would like to get to know you better." Looking over the car a bit and gazing up at Quatre's face once more, she started softening up a bit, to her frustration as well. Stopping in her tracks once more Quatre gave her an even wider smile and leaned over the passenger seat to open the door for her. As she got in he winked at her and put his sunnies back on. Looking over his shoulder as to see if it was clear he turned into the lane and headed off again.  
  
While he was driving, he wanted to try and start some sort of conversation since they hadn't spoken ever since she got in the car. She didn't look as if she wanted to talk either. She was gazing out the passenger side window with her arm resting over the door. What should he say? He isn't exactly on friendly terms with her yet, no thanks to him opening up his big mouth to know about her personal life.  
  
"Um, Miss Relena. I didn't, offend your mother too badly yesterday did I?" He asked, breaking the silence between them.  
  
She turned her gaze to meet his and asked, "What makes you think you offended her?"  
  
"Well, I admit I was a bit out of line with what I said. I had only just met her and I was already mouthing off to her, I was just concerned that's all."  
  
"So why did you say it?"  
  
That question caught him off guard, he opened his mouth to answer but hesitated, 'What do I say? Tell her that I was standing up for her? Tell her I'm tired of people judging me all the time?'  
  
He knew he had to answer soon since she was still waiting for him to answer the question but suddenly said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Quatre asked in confusion, since when does someone become fond of another if they offended them?  
  
Relena turned her gaze back to the window and replied, "She was testing you, and you passed."  
  
Turning his gaze back to the road he thought long and hard about what she had just said. It made sense; after all she was having a go at him for nothing. But he had a feeling that those lines were mainly focused on Relena, and had a feeling that she knew too.  
  
********************************  
  
Pulling up into the car park Quatre removed his sun glasses and adjusted the roof top over the car, grabbing his bag from the back seats shortly afterwards. Relena had already gotten out before him and as he closed the door and locked the car up she said, "Well, I'm going now."  
  
As she was about to go Quatre said, "Wait! Miss Relena..."  
  
She was growing frustrated now, slowly turning around to face him he looked at her apologetically and said, "I'm really sorry to be a bother but I was wondering if you could show me where the school's office is? I know you might have other things more important to do so, even the directions would be fine."  
  
'Great, now he's trying to make me feel guilty', she wanted to walk off but her feet didn't seem to follow her wishes. 'Correction, I'm already feeling guilty.' Sighing in defeat she said, "Don't worry about directions, I'll show you myself."  
  
"I don't want to be a bother," Quatre said back.  
  
Relena took a few steps away from him and said, "Are you coming or not?"  
  
Continuing on walking Quatre quickly caught up with her and silently followed her.  
  
As she walked she couldn't help but feel even guiltier at the way she was treating him. He has been so nice to her so far and she hasn't showed any gratitude in return. It never bothered her before though; she could give anyone the cold shoulder and not feel bad about it but why is it that every time she does it to him she feels as though a knife is being stabbed into her heart? 'No, I can't feel that way to anyone,' she noted to herself, 'It's better for myself and everyone around me if I act like this.'  
  
When they walked a building she stopped beside some stairs and said, "This building that we have just entered now is the 'main building' of the school. Here is where most of the school office is and also where most of the teacher's offices are situated. It's nothing special but there is a couple of computer rooms here and a couple of study centers for senior students to do work in peace. Room numbers in this building have either MG (Main Ground) or MT (Main Top) at the beginning before the number of the room, this should help you know where your classes are if it has either one of these abbreviations."  
  
"Ah that will be helpful, thank you Miss Relena."  
  
After a long pause Relena said, "Quatre."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why do you keep calling me 'Miss'?"  
  
He looked at her blankly for a while there, until it only just occurred to him then as to what she was talking about, "Oh, sorry. It's a forced habit I guess, I don't notice I even say it sometimes haha. While I have been working in our family company I am always around people twice my age so, since it's more appropriate and polite I refer to any female as Miss, Mrs. or Ms and males as Mr."  
  
Relena raised an eye brow at that explanation and asked, "Your not going to be calling any of the guys here by 'Mr.' are you?"  
  
"Haha don't worry I'm not planning to."  
  
"So why is that your not planning on calling any guys by 'Mr.' but you will still refer to me as 'Miss'?"  
  
"Well if you don't like it I will try and stop but when it comes to females I just, want to be polite to them I guess. I also refer to them that way as a form of respect as well."  
  
"And how are you referring it to me, out of respect or politeness?"  
  
Pondering over it a bit he smiled at her and replied, "Both."  
  
She just stared at him when he said that, 'What did he mean by that exactly?' She should tell him to jump off the cliff for all she cared, but of course didn't which was now beginning to bother her.  
  
From the stairs there suddenly appeared a group of girls, they were in full conversations with each other as they walked down to the ground floor of the building. One of the girls stopped talking and looked at Relena and Quatre with curiosity. Smiling to herself she walked up behind Relena and the other two which were with her followed. Relena turned around and came face to face with the ash blonde girl.  
  
"Hello Relena," the girl said as she smiled brightly at her, narrowing her eyes at the same time.  
  
"Hello, Sylvia," Relena greeted back with no enthusiasm what so ever.  
  
Sylvia placed both hands over her hips and said, "We haven't seen you around in a while? What's your problem with us now? Are we not good enough friends for you?"  
  
Relena just remained silent as Sylvia just shrugged it off and took and interesting glance over at Quatre.  
  
"Ah, is this why? You got a new boy friend?" Sylvia asked as she came up to him.  
  
"WHAT! No, he's Dorothy's brother! I'm just showing him to the office that's all."  
  
"Geez, don't get so uptight," Sylvia replied as Relena watched her get closer to Quatre. Walking up to him, Sylvia took long surveillances over his form and grinned at him, "Hello there, my name is Sylvia, Sylvia Noventa. And these two are Midii and Meiran."  
  
Each of them nodded at him as their names were said. Quatre smiled at them and greeted, "Nice to meet you all, my name is Quatre, Quatre Raberba Winner."  
  
"We are such good friends with your sister. Although, we didn't know she had a brother," Sylvia stated, "Oh well, you said you were heading to the office right? May we accompany you?"  
  
Quatre didn't have any problem with it but looked over at Relena to see how she will respond; after all she was the one taking him so it was pretty much up to her.  
  
Relena just shrugged and said, "Well, if you are going to take him would you mind doing it in my place then?"  
  
Quatre stared at her, stunned at her reply. On the other hand Sylvia grinned at her and took Quatre by the arm, "Hehe no problems here," she said. And with that she dragged him along with her. Midii and Meiran followed after them, starting their earlier conversation from before. Relena still stood in the same spot as she just watched them leave. Quatre looked back at her as they were getting further away from her but she had already turned her back to them and was already out the door. He turned his head back again to listen to Sylvia's chattering but he couldn't help but feel concerned over Relena again, 'Did I just miss something?'  
  
********************************  
  
Author's Note: Some of you of you might be wondering just what does 'Tooi Yoake' mean right? I wanted a school name related to Gundam Wing in some way but most of the good names have been taken by other authors so, I thought, why not a name from a Gundam Wing Song!? ^_^ 'Tooi Yoake' means 'Faraway Dawn', it's Zechs' image song. Anyway what do you think so far? PLEASE SEND ME SOME REVIEWS, I CAN'T KEEP WRITING LIKE THIS IF NO ONES REAGING THEM, IF YOU LIKE IT OR HATE IT SO FAR PLEASE SEND ME A REVIEW ANYWAY! It's my first fanfic so any reviews I get will help me out a great deal. Chapter 4 will be up soon, until then, bye for now ^_-  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	4. Chapter 4

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
********************************  
  
" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
"See ya at lunch Duo," a girl with short, bright, red hair said as she and another girl started heading to class.  
  
"Hey wait, are we eating in the cafeteria today?" Duo called out to them.  
  
The other girl with short black hair turned around and called back, "Well Ofcourse, we usually go there for food when it's lunch time."  
  
"Well the last time I went there, you two weren't even around. I'm just hoping I won't be ditched again that's all. After all, I can't imagine a life without the seeing you're beautiful, charming young faces," Duo sarcastically commented.  
  
Both of the girls just laughed and poked their tongues out at him, "Just be sure not to be late again like last time and you might happen to find us there alright?" The black haired girl smiled as she said this. Turning her back on him once more she and her friend started rushing to their next class.  
  
Duo just smiled and headed into his class, whistling to himself as he walked over to his rightful seat at the back left corner of the room. He hated doing business studies; he still ponders on the reason why he even picked it in the first place. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back on his chair, stretching his feet over the desk. To his surprise, he was actually early to class for a change since no one was in the room yet. It wasn't until a minute or so later that other students were starting to enter the room.  
  
Dorothy had made her entrance along with Midii following close behind. They made their way to their rightful spots in the middle of the room. As Dorothy pulled out her chair she noticed Duo at the back of the room and looked at him from the corner of her eye. He had his eyes closed as he sat and whistled to himself, 'How can he just sit there like that with his feet on the desk'. Midii took her spot beside Dorothy's desk and glanced up at her in question. Dorothy was just standing there.  
  
"Hey you braided moron, put your feet on the floor where they belong!" Dorothy yelled to him.  
  
Duo raised an eye brow at her in question and asked in sarcasm, "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"  
  
"Well who else in here has their hair done up in such long a braid, have some consideration for school property and put your feet on the ground."   
  
"You forgot to say please."  
  
"I shouldn't have to say please! People would like to do their work on clean desks, not ones which are dirty from your shoes and smell of your foul feet."  
  
"You know, I should be honored that such a stuck up, 'know-it-all' like you takes the time to point out faults over such small things like this. You hate me so much yet you still talk to me and watch every move I make just to make a scene for yourself."  
  
Dorothy was furious at his statement and what's more she had no comeback either which annoyed her even further.   
  
"Wow, miracles do happen. It's not everyday that 'you' are the one lost for words."  
  
Dorothy just glared at him with the best death glare she could do and sat in her seat roughly, facing her back to him. Duo just smirked and closed is eyes once again.  
  
Relena entered after that argument and took her seat in the front row. Since the teacher wasn't there yet she decided to do a bit of writing. Taking out her black notebook she turned to a blank page and began doing just that.  
  
Quatre entered the class room at that moment, along with a pair of girls who had latched themselves onto each of his arms. They were arguing to each other as they were trying to steal Quatre for themselves. This little performance wasn't going unnoticed by the rest of the class either. Duo just watched in amusement while Dorothy felt like she was going to be sick.  
  
"Come sit with me Quatre," the girl with curly blonde hair asked him as she traced her index finger over the back of his neck.  
  
Quatre stiffed at the touch and wanted to pull away but the other girl with glasses pulled him closer to her as she snuggled into him further saying, "As if he wants to sit with you, he would much prefer to sit with me."  
  
"What! You have got to be kidding; he would have more sense then to sit with a four eyed, 'know-it-all'!"  
  
"Hmph, better a 'know-it-all' then a freckled faced, dumb blonde!"  
  
Taking this opportunity to escape, Quatre edged his way out of their grip and quickly moved away from them as they fully started mouthing off at each other. Sighing in relief that he could at finally let the blood flow through his arms freely he noticed Relena a few tables away. Walking over to her he smiled and greeted, "Hi Miss Relena."  
  
Hearing his voice she quickly closed up her notebook and looked up at him, "Hello, what can I do for you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, was I disturbing you?"  
  
Relena shook her head but then noticed three boys walk into the room. The one who entered first had short, messy, dark brown hair with prussian blue eyes. The one behind him was a lot taller and had mustard brown hair which covered half of his face and beside him was a chinese boy with slick black hair and black eyes.   
  
"Wufei!" Midii called out in excitement as she quickly headed over to the chinese boy. Wufei just watched her as she come over and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.  
  
Relena quickly lowered her gaze and started fiddling around with her golden buttons, needing something to distract her thoughts.  
  
Quatre got a little confused with the way she was acting but then suddenly felt a presence right behind him. Slowly turning around his blue/green eyes met prussian blue.  
  
"Who are you?" The boy asked him in a gruff voice, his eyes narrowing at him.  
  
"Quatre, Quatre Raberba Winner. Nice to meet you." Quatre greeted as he continued staring into the boy's eyes, "May I ask what your name is?"  
  
The boy raised an eyebrow at him and replied, "Heero Yuy."  
  
Quatre smiled at him and noticed the taller boy standing beside Heero at that moment.  
  
"Hi," Quatre greeted the taller boy.  
  
The boy beside Heero glanced over at him with his emerald green eyes and nodded his greeting.  
  
Suddenly their teacher had finally entered the room, he was looking very annoyed as well, "Sit down everyone," the teacher said as they started handing out sheets to everyone.   
  
"Well I better sit down now, it was nice talking to you Heero and....?"   
  
"Trowa Barton," the boy added as he passed Heero and headed to the back of the room.  
  
"Nice meeting you Trowa," Quatre called out to him, "See you Miss Relena," Quatre finished as he started heading to the back of the room, taking a seat next to Duo. Heero remained still as he continued glaring at the blonde's back but then turned his gaze over to Wufei and Midii. Midii had just ended the kiss between herself and Wufei and made her way to her seat as to not annoy the teacher any more then what they already were. Wufei did the same and headed off his rightful spot at the back of the room, passing Relena's desk as he did so. Heero watched him as he passed and looked back down at Relena. She kept her head low and kept herself from looking at Heero.  
  
"Please sit down Heero," the teacher said as he tried keeping in his frustration.  
  
Heero watched over Relena a little longer before he headed to the back of the room. He sat with the other two boys which he had entered with but kept a steady eye on Relena. They were sitting on the other side of the room from Duo and Quatre but as the teacher started going through what they were going to learn for the lesson Quatre noticed Heero was still watching over Relena.  
  
He pondered over this for a while but when the teacher had finished talking with the class and finished handing out worksheets to everyone he went up to Quatre and handed him extra sheets, "I'm Mr. Walker, you will need to get these done when you can, as soon as possible will be good." Mr. Walker talked a little more with Quatre over what he would have to know and catch up on but kept it fairly brief before heading to his desk, rubbing his light brown hair in frustration. 'Geez, what's up with him today?' Duo pondered. As their business studies teacher left Duo took this opportunity to speak, "Hey there Quatre, my name is Duo Maxwell."  
  
Quatre looked over to him and smiled, "Pleasure to meet you Duo."  
  
"I must say, your entrance here was quite amusing." Duo mentioned with a smile.  
  
Quatre looked at him with a confused expression until Duo pointed over to the two girls he had walked in with earlier.   
  
"Oh," was all Quatre could say as he felt his cheeks flush a little.  
  
"So, how many other girls have you hooked yourself up with?" Duo said grinning at him.  
  
"What!" Quatre's eyes widened at that question while Duo was loving every minute of this.  
  
"Hahaha, kidding, kidding. You looked like you were going to die right there and now. I was thinking of saving you if it got too overrated."  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"Hey can't you take a joke."  
  
"I don't class that as being very funny," Quatre pouted, trying his hardest not to flush anymore than what he already was. It was bad enough that those girls were trying to pry into his personal life last lesson; he didn't need anymore of this from others too.  
  
Silence suddenly grew between them from there as Quatre tried to start on work, but it seemed that Duo wasn't going to let him.  
  
"Ok ok, I'm sorry. But by the way, nice how you stood your ground with Heero."  
  
"Huh?" Quatre said as he looked back over to Duo again.  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow at that remark and said, "What? Couldn't you tell what he was doing?"  
  
Quatre just stared back with a blank expression over his face.  
  
Duo shook his head but smirked at the boy, "You are very naive aren't you?"  
  
Quatre had no idea what this guy was rambling on about, if he spoke clearer sentences then maybe he could take into account what he was trying to say, "What do you mean naive?"  
  
"Heero didn't want you talking to Relena that's what I mean. He was trying to stare you down with that 'death glare' of his but you didn't flinch at all. Not to mention you were being so polite to him."  
  
"Is that why he was standing right behind me?" Quatre stated more to himself then Duo as he looked over to Heero.  
  
Duo nodded and leaned in a little more to Quatre as he softly spoke, "I would advice you not to try that again. He might have let you off easy because you are new but don't try that again on him, or even the other two for that matter."  
  
"You mean the two who entered with Heero?"  
  
"Yeah, Trowa Barton and the chinese guy's name is Wufei. Try to stay clear of them so that you won't try to cause anymore trouble."  
  
"What trouble?"  
  
'What is it with this guy?' Duo just sighed in annoyance as to how naive this guy was but he smiled at how nice he was at the same time. You never met too many people which always looked for the good in others, and for that he decided that Quatre should hang out with him and his friends.  
  
The bell went sometime after their conversation. Everyone started heading out the room and as Quatre got up from his seat Duo went up to him and asked, "Hey, would you like to eat lunch with me and my gang?"  
  
Quatre looked up at him and smiled replying, "Yeah that would be great!"  
  
"Alright! At least 'this' time if I happen to be ditched I won't be alone," Duo smirked as he started whistling again with Quatre looking at him in question again.  
  
********************************  
  
Upon entering the cafeteria Quatre couldn't believe how crowded it was, he couldn't believe how many students actually went to this school. Then again it was pretty big so it would only seem right to have so many students here.  
  
"Don't worry, most of them just come to eat and head straight out again. It will die down in no time."  
  
As Duo said this he guided Quatre over to the beginning of the line to get a tray for their food and just wait around until it was their turn to get food.  
  
"Geez, I'm starving, hurry up already," Duo mumbled to himself as Quatre just smiled back. He was trying to wonder if he really should get something to eat or not, he did after all have a very large breakfast and he wasn't exactly hungry at the moment but since Duo went through the trouble of bringing him here he thought that he might as well get something.  
  
When it was finally their turn Quatre couldn't believe how much the guy ate. His tray was packed with sandwich rolls, hot chips, a large serving of pasta and salad from what Quatre could see. Duo smiled back at him when he was done grabbing his food but as he looked down at Quatre's tray he almost wanted to laugh.  
  
"Don't you eat or something?"  
  
Quatre had only gotten himself an apple. He blushed a little at how ridiculous that might have looked, compared to everyone else who had served themselves earlier, they had gotten a descent meal for themselves, unlike what he had gotten himself, "I had a big breakfast this morning."  
  
"Oh," Duo replied as he still grinned at him. Duo guided Quatre over to the table where he and his friends usually sat. The two girls Duo had talked to earlier were already sitting there.  
  
"Well, you're both here this time, lucky for us huh?" Duo said as he nudged Quatre. As they both sat down, one of the girls replied, "Nice of you to show yourself this time Duo," the girl with black hair said. As she said this, Duo looked about there table then started looking over the cafeteria. The two girls just watched him with confusion until he asked, "Hey where are the others?"   
  
"They have to go to music," the girl with bright red hair answered.  
  
Shrugging it off Duo started digging into his food; Quatre just stared at the way he was eating. Taking notice of there being a new person at their table the two girls looked back over to Duo with questioning glances.  
  
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. Quatre, meet Hilde and Mariemaia. Hilde, Mariemaia, this is Quatre Waberna Winner."  
  
"Raberba Winner, Duo," Quatre corrected as he smirked at him.  
  
"Same difference." Duo commented.  
  
"Nice to meet you Quatre, I hope Duo here hasn't been too much of an annoyance," Hilde said smiling at him.  
  
"Hey that wasn't very nice," Duo said as his mouth was full of mashed up chips. Hilde shook her head at the sight while Mariemaia raised an eyebrow at him, Quatre just smiled.  
  
"Actually he has been such good company, very social I must say."  
  
"Haha yes. You might be saying that now but I would like to hear you say that again after a week," Mariemaia stated as she giggled at Duo poking his tongue out at her.  
  
Quatre smiled at the way the three of them got along. He could tell that they have been friends for a long time. He was glad that he had finally met some descent people too. So far the only people he had met were girls who were love struck over him and guys who had a grudge against him over it. At least Duo, Hilde and Mariemaia were treating him like they would for each other, and not judging him over appearances or first impressions so he couldn't help but feel thankful for the kindness they were giving him.  
  
As he sat there quietly eating his apple, he started looking about the cafeteria as Duo, Hilde and Mariemaia conversed with each other. Looking around at the different groups he could probably tell the most popular groups from the least popular, it was such a shame that things had to be divided like that. But what shocked him was the table with no occupants on it bar one person.  
  
"Relena?" Quatre accidentally said out loud, causing three sets of eyes to focus on him.  
  
"Huh? What did you say buddy?" Duo asked.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that. I was just curious about why Relena was sitting on her own that's all."  
  
Hilde and Mariemaia turned their heads to the direction of where Relena was sitting. She had already finished her lunch and looked to be writing in that black notebook again.  
  
"How do you know her?" Mariemaia asked as both girls turned back around.  
  
Looking over at her, Quatre replied, "I had met her yesterday, why?"  
  
"Another word of advice," Duo started, "Don't try associating with her, she's bad news Q-man."  
  
"Bad? How is she bad?"  
  
"Believe me Quatre; you can make better friends then to be one with her."  
  
"But why is she bad?"  
  
"Look Quatre, there is this little system here that runs like this, depending on who you associate with you sometimes gain new friends but gain new enemies as well. Like us for example, since you are talking with us at the moment, anyone else who had a grudge against us would hate you if you tried being friends with them. Is this making sense?"  
  
"So... What you're trying to say is, if anyone associates too much with Relena, they will be hated by the whole school?"  
  
"That's right; with the things that have been said about her, I can understand why. She isn't even accepted within Sylvia's group anymore. She use to hang out with them you see, but with the things that have been going on between them Relena has just; stopped hanging out with them and with that, the other girls can't stand her now. She's a bitch anyway, just like the other four."  
  
"Duo! Don't be so mean! She hasn't been like that for ages now," Hilde butted in.  
  
"Oh come on! She has been like that for years, what makes you think she has changed? She is just like that because she pities herself."  
  
"But, for a couple of months now she has hardly been the person she was. I mean, she never hardly talks or associates with anyone anymore, she never smiles, she actually does work in her classes now as well," Mariemaia pointed out.  
  
"Not much good it is doing her since she has bummed around all her high school years, now she is totally struggling. I know I shouldn't have been doing this but while I was at the teacher's desk in English I looked over the teachers records which had our marked work in right, and when I looked at her marks they were the lowest in the class. Some things were even set at zero," Duo said as he started on his pasta, "She's not passing that subject and I doubt if she is passing any others."  
  
Hilde and Mariemaia didn't continue on any further. They haven't exactly been on good terms with her but they couldn't help but feel sorry for her as well. After all, people can change and they could definitely tell that she had changed, but the question that still hung around their heads was if whether or not it was a good or bad thing that she was like this.  
  
Quatre didn't say anything as he continued looking over at Relena; he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Relena never struck him as being someone who was hated by so many people. 'Is this the reason why she seems so withdrawn from everyone?' He thought that she was acting that way in front of him because he had tried prying into her personal life so suddenly or over the things he had said to her mother yesterday. Maybe the fact that she had no friends was the reason why she was so depressed.   
  
But what happened to his sister? They were together at the airport, so he thought that maybe they were close. Looking around the room he found his sister sitting with Sylvia and the others, Heero and his friends were there too. Dorothy was talking to Sylvia while Midii was moving her hand up and down Wufei's chest. Meiran looked to be trying to talk to Trowa, though he didn't look to be saying much and Heero looked to be watching something. Following his gaze, Quatre found that he was watching Relena again, 'What are they to each other?' He started thinking. He noticed the same thing happening in business studies earlier as well.  
  
********************************  
  
Music was Quatre's next class, Mariemaia offered to show him the way since it was her next class too. As they entered the room, Quatre noticed that the class was indeed a pretty small one, including himself and Mariemaia, Quatre counted eight people in the class. It was to be expected though since most of the people in this class would be hoping to start a band up after finishing school or something, you can't exactly follow up on a subject like this if you weren't exactly interested in it.   
  
Quatre was still surprised that he was allowed to do this subject though. It was his father who chose the subjects which would be best for him to do, for their business and everything once again. He had no idea what it was he had picked for him though, until he picked up his timetable today that is. But then again he wasn't complaining that he could do music, he enjoyed every moment he spent with playing musical instruments and wasn't about to spoil it now.   
  
Scanning the class for anyone he may recognize he was stunned to find Relena was here. For a big school with so many students enrolled here he seemed to keep seeing her everywhere he went.  
  
"Would you like to sit with us Quatre?" Mariemaia asked him as she pointed over to where two boys sat. One of them had blonde hair which was parted to each side but had a few loose strands fall over his face and the other boy sitting beside him had short, curly, dark brown hair.  
  
"Their names are Alex and Mueller. You didn't get the chance to meet them at lunch. They can be dorks sometimes, like Duo but they are really nice."  
  
Quatre smiled at the offer but kindly said, "Um, would it be ok if I sat over here," Quatre said as he pointed over at the empty seat where Relena sat.  
  
Mariemaia smirked and shrugged at him, "Well, you are welcome to sit with us when ever you want ok?" And with that she headed over to where her friends were and sat beside Mueller.  
  
Quatre started making his way over to where Relena sat and seated himself beside her. She didn't even notice that he was there. Watching her from the corner of his eye he noticed that she was once again writing in that black notebook again. The more he watched her, the more curious he was starting to get over it. What was it about her that made him insist on being near her? She obviously didn't seem to like him around her; in a way he could see why she is friends with Dorothy. But like Dorothy, she was hiding something deep inside of her which he still hasn't been able to figure out yet. He still vividly remembered the sadness in her eyes when he had met her. It didn't suit her one bit, she had the appearance of such a bright and cheerful girl, instead it's like another presence has taken her over.  
  
"Alright, lets get started with today's lesson," the female teacher said out to the class as she closed the door of her room. Quickly looking over her role book she looked over at Quatre and asked, "You must be Quatre Winner, correct? I am Mrs. Baker."  
  
Pulling his eyes away from Relena, Quatre brought all his attention towards the teacher.  
  
"It is required that you have to learn a specific instrument to do this course, are you familiar with any instruments?" The teacher asked as she sat herself at the front of her desk.  
  
"Yes, um the piano and violin are the instruments I am most familiar with," Quatre replied.  
  
Mrs. Baker smiled at his response and hoped off her desk. She turned around and walked into a room which was to the left of her desk, it looked to be a hallway with a few extra rooms to the sides; Quatre assumed that it was where students could go for instrument lessons and probably where all the instruments are kept. She quickly returned and closed the door behind her. In her hands she held a violin with her, "Let me hear you play."  
  
Quatre nodded and got up from his seat. He accepted the violin and placed the bottom of the violin under the crook of his neck. 'It's been a while since I've done this,' he thought as he positioned his fingers more comfortably over the fingerboard. Taking a deep breath he raised the bow and let it gently slide across the strings, allowing the room to fill with a harmonious melody. Some of the other students who were quietly chatting earlier had stopped when they heard Quatre playing; even   
  
Relena stopped what she was doing and raised her head to find Quatre in front of the class. She had to admit he was good; in fact he seemed like a professional player. The melody seemed to cleanse your mind and help you relax. She had to admit that she wouldn't mind hearing this for the rest of her life, at least nothing would ever bother her as he played. Quatre had kept his eyes closed as he played the music across the room but started bringing it to an end as he let the last note echo out and die in sound before reopening his eyes once again. Once he lowered his instrument everyone in the class applauded him, while Mariemaia stood from her seat and whistled at him, "Whoo hoo, you go Quatre! Encore, encore!" Quatre couldn't help but blush at her words and blush at the applause he was getting, but he was grateful that even Relena was clapping for him as well. Handing his instrument back to the teacher, he was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Hehe I'm sorry, I can never help myself when I hear such sweet melodies like that," she said as she wiped away at the tears forming in her eyes, "You wouldn't mind playing the piano for us now would you?"  
  
"No I don't mind, I would love to," Quatre said as he headed over to the other side of the room where the piano sat. He actually surprised himself when he played the violin just now. He hadn't been able to practice his violin for a while now, since he had always been so busy with their family business. It was going to be interesting to see how he might go on the piano.   
  
As he seated himself he closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on a song he should play. Lowering his hands he guided his fingers to their rightful keys let a new melody fill the room. Relena was stunned, not only could he play the violin like an actual musician but he could play the piano just as well too.  
  
Quatre didn't play the piano for as long as what he did with the violin but it was still a very good piece and received got another round of applause from everyone, to his relief Mariemaia wasn't whistling this time but she was clapping very rapidly, her claps were over powering the whole class'. Mrs. Baker was totally stunned at the way he played, "Oh you are a natural Quatre. Have you been receiving private sessions by any chance?"  
  
"Um, yes I use to. But I haven't had the time to play any instruments for a while now, I'm sorry if I was a little rusty."  
  
"Oh nonsense, you did great, I enjoyed that very much. Oh, that reminds me, please take a seat Quatre."  
  
Quatre nodded and went back to his seat with Relena and Mrs. Baker looked towards her, "Are you ready to do your practical yet Relena?"  
  
Relena glanced up at her but lowered her gaze quickly as she shook her head in response. Mrs. Baker just raised and eyebrow at her and said, "Relena, how are you expected to pass if you won't do any of your practical assignments? You won't pass just by doing the theory."  
  
Relena didn't answer.  
  
Knowing that her constant nagging wasn't sinking in Mrs. Baker went to her marks book and wrote down another zero on Relena's work progress. It saddened her doing this since she knew Relena had a lot of potential but for some reason she had suddenly lost her will to do anything anymore.  
  
"Everyone, get your books out please," she called out as she headed over to the board to write down some notes. Everyone did as she said and got out their books, Quatre got out his book and was ready to write down what the teacher was writing but as he waited he looked over at Relena again and noticed her sad expression. He was hoping that Duo wasn't right about how Relena was progressing in school but if she did that in every class, then maybe he wasn't too wrong after all. 'Why would she want to go so badly in her classes?'  
  
********************************  
  
Opening the door to his bedroom, Quatre placed his bag on the desk and started removing all his books. It felt good being back home again, although he had a lot of work to catch up on if he was to keep up with everyone in his classes. Picking up his diary he glanced over what he had to do and looked back at his books once again. He figured that he could finish it all within a night if he worked hard enough; working under pressure for short deadlines was one of his specialties, no thanks to their business. Funny how he always blamed their business over things he despised.  
  
Looking over at his alarm clock, the time read three-forty five. Not really in the mood to start on school work right away he decided he might go out for a run. At least with school work he could give himself the right to put it off for a while, not like the paper work he had to do immediately every time he got it handed to him. Walking over to his closet he got out a pair of dark blue shorts and a long red tank-top. He quickly changed into it and put on a pair of sneakers before heading out.  
  
Dorothy had just returned home and started up the stairs since she wanted to go to her room, until she caught sight of Quatre heading towards her.   
  
Quatre made his way to the stairs and saw Dorothy staring at him.  
  
"Good afternoon Dorothy. Sorry that I didn't get the chance to talk to you at school today."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not." She blurted.  
  
Quatre was a little hurt by her comment but didn't show it as he walked past her and headed down the rest of the stairs. Dorothy watched as he reached the bottom and started heading to the kitchen. She knew he had been working out, his bare arms revealed a bit of muscle within them and his chest wasn't exactly flat either. 'You know I don't really get the time to do things like that,' Quatre said to her while they were talking at the airport when she made the comment on him exercising. 'Hmph, don't try insulting my intelligence Quatre.'  
  
Quatre reemerged again and started making his way to the front door.  
  
"Quatre!" Dorothy called out to him, "Shouldn't you be doing homework first before doing things like that, you have a lot to catch up on you know." He should be confined to his room for a few nights with the amount he would have to do; knowing how much he would have to do she would love to just sit and watch him stress over it, it would serve him right.  
  
Quatre stopped in his tracks and looked up at her, "Yes that's true but I can do it later. Don't worry it will be done, but thank you for being so concerned."  
  
Dorothy glared at him when he said that, Quatre on the other hand just smiled his usual smile at her and waved his goodbyes before disappearing out the door, 'How dare he twist my words like that!' She cursed to herself and with that she stomped her way to her room and slammed the door shut.   
  
Throwing her bag to the ground she sat down at her dressing table chair and started roughly brushing through her hair. The knots which she was brushing through so roughly were going unnoticed by her at the moment; the pain was nothing compared to how she was feeling.   
  
As she was brushing, her eyes started drifting towards her reflection. Staring at herself in the mirror she started feeling moisture form in her eye lids. "No," she whispered as she tightly closed her eyes shut. What ever she was trying to hold back wasn't working since she felt a tear slid down her face. "NO!" She suddenly screamed as she threw her brush with all her strength into the mirror, causing it to crack and allowing some shattered pieces to fall to her dressing table.   
  
Rushing to her bathroom she quickly turned on the cold water tap and started rubbing the ice cold water over her face, hoping it would calm her down, not to mention freeze the tears within herself as well. "I am strong," she chanted to herself as she kept washing her face, "I am strong."  
  
********************************  
  
Quatre knew his exact location as to where he wanted to go, the park he had passed earlier that day looked so appealing to him that he couldn't resist not going there. It was a good day to be out and about as well, the sky was clear and there was a mild breeze which helped keep him cool as he jogged. It took him around twenty to twenty five minutes to finally reach it, he wasn't about to stop though, he thought that he might as well run around the whole park and see how long he could last. He was no cross country runner but he could run a fair distance without stopping, after all, he had other reasons of doing this besides keeping fit.  
  
He had no idea how much of the park he had ran through before he started loosing his breath. The park was huge, there seemed to be no end to how far it went as you looked out towards the distance, this was probably some public park for the whole city or something. The fun part of all this was still to come though, 'Which direction did I come from again?' Quatre couldn't be bothered thinking about it at the moment though, he needed to rest. He slowly made his way towards the closest tree to him and leaned against it as he began taking in deep breaths. Looking down at his watch he read that the time was close to four thirty now.   
  
Leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to hear the sounds of nature around him. The birds chirping, the sound of leaves blowing against the wind, he smiled at the peace he could receive just by standing there; he should come here more often. Quatre suddenly opened his eyes as he sharpened his hearing, he could have sworn he heard something which wasn't just from the breeze. He could faintly hear someone singing. With curiosity taking him over he started following the singing voice, he wanted to hear where to was coming from. He was getting closer since the voice was slowly beginning to become clearer, he recognized that it was a female singing and what a beautiful voice it was too.  
  
The voice was definitely close to where he stood, to his dismay though, the voice stopped before he could even find it. He knew he was close though, so he began looking about the area. As he was about to walk around a trunk of a large tree he noticed someone's arm on the opposite side. Not wanting to disturb them he remained where he was and leaned against the tree. The sleeve of the person's arm looked like the sleeves of his school uniform. Pushing that thought away he heard the person flipping through some paper, the sound only lasted for a couple of seconds though before they started singing again.  
  
I know I can be a little stubborn sometimes   
  
A little righteous and too proud   
  
I just want to find a way to compromise   
  
Cos I believe that we can work things out   
  
I thought I had all the answers never giving in   
  
But baby since you've gone I admit that I was wrong   
  
All I know is I'm lost without you I'm not gonna lie   
  
How my going to be strong without you I need you by my side   
  
If we ever say we'll never be together and we ended with goodbye   
  
Don't know what I'd do I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to find my way but all I know is I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to face the day I'm lost without you   
  
Quatre remained silent as he heard the girl's lyrics. She had such a beautiful voice but her song seemed so depressing. He knew what it felt like being alone, although, he envied the girl for at least finding someone who understood her, even if it only lasted for a little while. He had never gotten the privilege of having someone understand him, though he knew that it was partly his fault as well.  
  
How my ever gonna get rid of these blues   
  
Baby I'm so lonely all the time   
  
Everywhere I go I get so confused   
  
You're the only thing that's on my mind   
  
Oh my beds so cold at night and I miss you more each day   
  
Only you can make it right no I'm not too proud to say   
  
All I know is I'm lost without you I'm not gonna lie   
  
How my going to be strong without you I need you by my side   
  
If we ever say we'll never be together and we ended with goodbye   
  
Don't know what I'd do I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to find my way but all I know is I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to face the day I'm lost without you   
  
The girl stood from where she was sitting on the grass, leaning her back against her side of the tree. She looked up at the sky for a brief moment before lowering it again and hugging herself tightly.  
  
If I could only hold you now and make the pain just go away   
  
Can't stop the tears from running down my face   
  
Oh   
  
All I know is I'm lost without you I'm not gonna lie   
  
How my going to be strong without you I need you by my side   
  
If we ever say we'll never be together and we ended with goodbye   
  
Don't know what I'd do I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to find my way but all I know is I'm lost without you   
  
I keep trying to face the day I'm lost without you   
  
Tears were starting to fall down her face at this moment, her legs had lost their will stand now. Collapsing onto her knees she held one arm firmly around her while the other tried to brush away the tears falling from her face. Looking up towards the sky once more she spoke out the last line of her song.  
  
I'm lost without you...  
  
Quatre lowered his head and felt about ready to cry himself. He could hear the girl on the other side of the tree sobbing quietly. He could never stand a girl crying, it took him all his strength start walking away from her. If he were to show himself it would show no consideration for her feelings. The area was isolated so she would have wanted to be alone to express her feelings through song. He knew that being alone while feeling like this was the best thing someone could do for them, letting them get out what ever they were hurt inside about was the best medicine for everything.  
  
The girl started settling down a little, it was so weak of her to be crying like this. Everything about her was weak and she couldn't stand it, but no matter how much she wanted to remain strong in everyone's eyes she felt as though she was betraying herself for not being who she was. She knew that shouldn't be ashamed about herself but she would be lying if she said that she didn't hate her life.   
  
As she picked up her black notebook a page from it suddenly blew out causing the girl to go into shock. She quickly tried to reach out for it but missed it as the wind blew it away from her grasp. Jumping for it, she finally got hold of the stray paper and held it to the ground, but as she picked it up she noticed a tall figure walking away. Noticing the familiar colour of their hair before disappearing from her sight she stared at the last sight of the figure before whispering, "Quatre?"  
  
********************************  
  
Author's Note: Well, how was that? It was pretty long I admit but I didn't exactly want to cut it into two chapters. Is anyone actually reading these? I haven't exactly gotten any feedback from anyone about this story, besides sweetangel and I thank you so much for that ^_- But if no one is reading this then I see no reason for continuing. So much for my first fanfic :'-( I must be a pretty lousy writer. Well anyway, this might be the last chapter i will submit here. It was good while it lasted anyway. The song was by Delta Goodrem - Lost Without You.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	5. Chapter 5

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
********************************  
  
" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
"Argh!" Hilde yelled as she slammed her pencil onto her book and crossed her arms, pouting to herself.  
  
"What's up with you?" Duo asked, aggravated at the fact that this was the fifth time that she has carried on since the lesson started.  
  
"I give up on this stuff! I just can't do it!" Hilde complained as she glared at the multiple equations in her maths book.  
  
Quatre had just returned from the teacher's desk when Hilde had one of her little tantrums again. Quatre was sitting beside Alex while Hilde and Duo were sitting in front of them. When he had walked past Hilde earlier, he noticed that she was getting angry over something but didn't say anything about it since Duo seemed to be calming her down. Looking over his finished work, he had nothing to do for the rest of the lesson so what was there to do now? Well, he had been working hard so maybe a break wouldn't hurt. Sliding down his chair a little he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, trying to cancel out everything around him. He didn't get the chance to relax for long though since he heard Hilde yelling curses at Duo all of a sudden. Opening one eye at her he suddenly opened up both and saw her strangling him.  
  
"Hilde, what's wrong?" Quatre asked as he sat up straight in his chair again, leaning over to tap her on the shoulder.  
  
Giving Duo a slap in the arm she turned to him and said, "This maths is a load of crap, that's what's wrong." She was trying to hold back her frustration, he could tell, but it wasn't doing much good. Looking over at Duo he was rubbing his arm roughly as he glared at Hilde for doing that.  
  
"I was trying to help you Hilde. Geez, no appreciation what so ever. And to think that I went out of my way to help you too."  
  
"Oh come on Duo! You would be the last person I would ask to help me with maths. And what gets better is that you just HAD to erase my answer and just HAD to put in your own dumb answer which was far from right. At least mine was closer!"  
  
The two of them were fully glaring at each other now, each not pulling their head away as they competed against one another, waiting for the other to flinch first. Quatre just sat there watching them.   
  
"Are they usually like this?" Quatre asked as he nudged Alex.   
  
Alex pulled his head out of his work and glanced over at Hilde and Duo, "Oh yeah, they do this all the time. I think they just want more attention from each other, if you know what I mean." Alex smiled as he said his last sentence and looked at the blank faced Quatre. He didn't seem to get what he was implying but Duo and Hilde did. They both turned to him and grabbed their pencil cases. As Hilde threw hers, Alex ducked under it but as he got up again Duo got him straight in the face.  
  
"Serves you right!" Hilde said, grinning evilly at him, "Now, be a friend and pass my pencil case back."  
  
Alex just stared at her as she suddenly put on an innocent face and smiled at him brightly with puppy dog eyes, as if it were to draw him to do as she requested.  
  
"What do you take me for?" Alex said smirking at her. Giving her back the pencil case she threw at him would only be an invitation for her to do it again, since she had missed him the first time, she would want to correct her aim.  
  
Hilde just pouted, knowing she would have to get up to get it back now. As she was about to rise, Quatre put his hand on her shoulder and showed her, her pencil case in his hand, "I will give it back to you on one condition. Don't try throwing it at anyone again, alright?"  
  
"Ofcourse," Hilde said innocently as she got her pencil case back. Duo and Alex braced themselves since they knew that either one of them would be hit by it next. However, Quatre didn't leave her side, kneeling beside her desk he asked, "Now, what are you having problems with?"  
  
Hilde looked at him stunned and asked, "Nah, it's alright Quatre. I'm sure you have other work to do anyway."  
  
"Its fine, I have already finished."  
  
As he said this, Hilde, Duo and Alex just stared at him.  
  
"But, this work was for us to work on over the week. And you're telling us that you are finished already!?" Duo asked as he reached over for Quatre's maths book. He was not convinced, he knew Quatre was some sort of a genius at everything he did but they had only just started the week with this new work so he just COULDN'T have finished, 'He's making the rest of us look bad.'   
  
Looking over it, he noticed that every question was answered and as he flipped through each page he noticed there being no cross marks but ticks all the way through it. On the last page he noticed the full marks he had just received from the teacher, this would have surprised him on the day Quatre first arrived but after knowing him for a couple of weeks now, this sort of thing was a normal thing to expect of him, if he got any lower, then that would have surprised. Lifting his gaze to Quatre, he just raised an eyebrow at him and said, "You're a freak, you know that?"  
  
Quatre just smiled and shrugged in response to him and resumed back to looking over Hilde's work. Hilde was so thankful for having Quatre in their class, he had helped her on numerous occasions and she couldn't help but smile since she actually understood him when he would explain what she did wrong and what she should have done instead. 'Better help than what the teacher could ever be.' She couldn't stand their maths teacher. He would always explain everything in circles, plus when he explained something, he would do it one way, then another way, then he would go on about what it would be used for in our normal daily lives. Hilde would just stare at what he had done on the board, absolutely lost in what he had just explained.  
  
"Ah, here's your problem," Quatre said as he reached for Hilde's pencil. As he corrected what she did wrong, Hilde sat back and waited for him to finish. At least with Quatre, he always seemed to know what to do. What ever you were stuck on, he could solve it within a couple of seconds. Because of this, she was hoping that her mistake wasn't anything too stupid. It would be a major embarrassment for her if Quatre, the smartest person she knew, were to find it being something like her writing the sum down with a number being four while her steps on working out the question had that number changed to nine. 'Oh, please don't let it be anything I will regret,' then again, this would be asking for too much, fate always seemed to be against her when it came to maths. When he was finished, he gave her back her book and as she looked at what he did she felt like sinking into the ground.  
  
"It's ok, it's a natural error. I do it myself sometimes," Quatre said smiling as he stood from the floor.  
  
"What was the problem?" Alex asked her in curiosity.  
  
Slowly turning her gaze over to him, she gave him an ashamed yet embarrassed expression and said, "I wrote my equation wrong when I was copying it into my book, that's why I couldn't get the right answer."  
  
Alex just grinned and shaked his head at her and resumed back to his own work.  
  
Sighing to herself in frustration, she just had to develop the skill to check through her work, maths wasn't her strong point though. If you got her into any sports on the other hand, she would be able to totally blitz anyone at it, no matter what it was. Looking over to see what Duo was doing, she went totally wide eyed when she saw him looking over Quatre's book and looked to be copying what was there into his own book.  
  
"Duo!!!" She yelled as she snatched the book away from him and handed it to Quatre, "You might need to hang onto this."  
  
Quatre took the book from her and looked over at Duo, "Do you need some help by any chance?"  
  
Duo pouted when Hilde took the book away from him but when Quatre asked if he needed help he brighten up again. He was wondering when Quatre was going to offer his assistance to him, "Uh yes, you see...."  
  
Before Duo could finish he saw Sylvia come up behind Quatre and raised her hands over his eyes, "Guess who?" She playfully asked.  
  
"Sylvia," Quatre answered her back as he removed her hands from his eyes. Turning to her he smiled and asked, "Is there a problem?"  
  
"Well, I was just noticing that you were helping Hilde with her work and well, I was wondering if maybe you could help me with mine," as she was explaining herself, she was twisting a few strands of hair around her index finger while giving him one of her seductive smiles, hoping that he would seem interested in her if she gave him a bit of a hint for the affection she has over him.  
  
Hilde and Duo just stared at her pitiful performance but went into shock when Quatre just smiled and said, "Sure, what do you need help with?"  
  
Sylvia's smile brightened as she took hold of Quatre's arm and dragged him over to where she and Meiran sat.  
  
"As if he didn't get what she was doing," Hilde said as she watched Sylvia sit Quatre down beside her.  
  
Watching as Quatre started going through her work, Hilde noticed Sylvia was just staring at him and not giving a care about what he was doing to her work. Quatre started explaining some things to her but as he was doing so, he was unaware of the fact that Sylvia was inching her way closer to him as she looked over his arm to 'try' and listen to what he was saying. But Hilde could see that her mind wasn't set on maths.  
  
"She doesn't look to be interested in her work at all by the look on her face," Hilde stated to Duo.  
  
"You should be use to it by now. As bright as Quatre may be, he has got to be the most naive person I have ever met. I mean, a girl could walk up to him and say 'I love you' without him even understanding what the hell she had just said," Duo said as he glared at Sylvia, "I admit that she's cute but geez she is such a tart. And it was MY turn for Quatre's help!"  
  
********************************  
  
The bell sounded some time later and as it did so, students started heading out, ready to go to next lesson.  
  
"What have you got now Quatre?" Duo asked as he came up to him.  
  
"I have computing."  
  
"Ok, I will see you at lunch then alright?"  
  
Quatre nodded as he watched Duo and Alex walk out, "Well let's go to lesson Quatre," Hilde said smiling at him.  
  
As they were about to head out the room their teacher suddenly called out, "Wait, Quatre. Can I speak to you for a second?"  
  
Quatre stopped and looked over to the teacher, acknowledging his request but apologetically looked back at Hilde.  
  
She got the idea, "Don't worry, I will tell the teacher that you will be late." And with that said she patted him on the shoulder before heading out the room.  
  
When she left, Quatre walked over to the front of the teacher's desk and asked, "Is there a problem Mr. Otto?"  
  
Mr. Otto was going through his marks book when he asked this, by what Quatre could see he noticed that his teacher was looking over his work progress. As Mr. Otto looked up at him from his desk he folded his arms over the desk and stated, "Your work, I am amazed that you were able to catch up so fast when you had a couple of month's worth of work to do when you first arrived here. And you even handed it up within a couple of days after you had started here too," Standing from his desk he continued; "Even with the latest work, you are well ahead of the class with that as well. I am finding it very strange that you can get things done so quickly, not to mention hardly get anything wrong. Who are you getting to do this for you?"  
  
Quatre looked at him stunned, he couldn't even believe that the teacher would think that he had someone do it all for him. What did he take him for? Yes he finished his maths within a couple of days upon receiving the work he had to do. With all his other subjects it took him in total a week, including weekends to finish all the work he missed when he started school here. What the teacher didn't seem to know was that Quatre spent nights and nights staying up to finish everything, he was only able to give himself a couple of hours sleep each night if he was lucky. He knew that if he kept putting it off, he would have so much to catch up on with his latest work so it was common sense to try and finish it all as soon as possible. He was after all, use to working under pressure. But would the teacher believe him?  
  
"I can assure you that it is my own work sir. If you like, you can ask me any questions you want which is related to what I have done and I will be able to answer it correctly without any problems."  
  
Mr. Otto watched him closely as he said this. He has never taught such an advanced student like him before, it was hard to believe what he was trying to say. But by the look of Quatre's eyes he could tell that he was speaking the truth. In his fifteen years of teaching he could tell when a student was lying or telling the truth.  
  
"You are a very advanced student Quatre. How are you so intelligent?" This was something he just had to find out, surely it just couldn't be that he was naturally gifted, he would not accept it being that.  
  
"I have had personal teachers come to teach me after my working hours overseas. I had the responsibility of looking after our family business but I had no time during the day to do things like study. So I did my schooling at home after working hours. It was basically, work during the day, study during the night."  
  
As Quatre explained him self to Mr. Otto, his teacher walked up to the windows of his classroom and peered up at the sky as he talked. He had a feeling that his teacher didn't exactly believe what he was saying. Thinking about it though, it did sound a little hard to believe. Anyone would believe that he was buying his way through school with the rate he was working at; if he wanted to he could easily do that. But he wasn't going to cheat the system, his father would skin him alive if he tried it, but even so, he wasn't in a state where he needed to do that anyway.  
  
A couple of students were starting to make their way into the class room now; the next lesson was going to begin soon.  
  
There was silence in the room for a few moments between Mr. Otto and Quatre before the maths teacher finally spoke up, "I have watched you help other students from time to time when ever you had finished your work early. It's very considerate of you I must say, plus it gives me the peace to do my own work," turning his gaze to Quatre, he smiled at his statement and asked, "Have you had any problems?"  
  
Quatre shook his head in response.  
  
Mr. Otto turned to fully face his student and continued, "Many of your other teachers have commented on your work and think highly of your progress so far. I can see now that it was your pure knowledge that helps your fellow students and I'm taking it that you didn't need any help from outside sources to do your other work either. But you must understand that I had to check you out, just to be sure that I wasn't mistaken."   
  
Quatre nodded his understanding before his teacher continued again, "With the way you have been progressing, I have actually been requested to ask a favour from you."  
  
Quatre just stared at him as he said this, it wasn't something he was expecting but remained silent to let Mr. Otto finish, "Would you be willing to do a bit of tutoring by any chance?"  
  
At this moment more and more students were filling into the room. Mariemaia and Mueller had just made their way in at this moment too. As they noticed Quatre in the room, Mariemaia was about to call out to him but when she noticed that he was talking with their teacher she thought against it and sat down quietly beside Mueller.  
  
Quatre was stunned at his teacher's request, if anything he was expecting, he definitely wasn't expecting that.  
  
"I only ask you to help out one student in particular. Their work has been of... a need for assistance and could do with a bit of help from another student outside school hours. I have them in my class now so, would you mind coming here at lunch so you could meet them? I know it is a very selfish request but this person could do with a bit of a push in the right direction."  
  
Quatre didn't know what to say. He would love to help them but what if he isn't successful at helping them out? He would have wasted both their time and his own as well. He had never attempted tutoring another person before, how was he to teach someone what to do? How can he go about it so that they would understand him?  
  
Wufei and Heero walked into the room at this moment and noticed Quatre in the room. Taking their seats, Heero watched him carefully while Wufei started getting out his things for lesson.  
  
"I'm not expecting you to give me an answer now. Meet them after class and see if you could help them out or not," Mr. Otto said as he made his way to his desk again.  
  
Quatre nodded and started making his way out of the room, looking at the floor as he was doing so. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate on his next lesson with this in his head now. He may be stressing too much over it but if he were to tutor them, he would want it to have been helpful for them, not something which both of them would have regretted.  
  
He was so deep in thought that he didn't seem to be watching where he was going since he happened to bump into someone at the entrance of the room.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry I-" Before he could finish he raised his head at the person he had bumped into and noticed that it was Relena.  
  
"Oh, Miss Relena. Sorry about that."  
  
Heero glared at Quatre when he said that. He was about ready to get up and pound him for that but noticed Quatre making his way out before he could even get up. Lucky for him, since Heero was about to teach him not to try and persist on being close to Relena, or all hell was about to break loose. One thing he couldn't stand was guys putting on the dumb act like that just to try and appear innocent to girls they happened to like.  
  
Relena was about to apologize to Quatre herself for bumping into him like that, since she wasn't watching where she was going but before she could even say a word he was already heading off. She grew a little concerned for him as she walked into the room, he didn't look all that well today. From the rare occasions she actually saw of him, he was always smiling and he even kept that smile on when he happened to see her as well. He would always say hi to her and would try to talk with her, but as stubborn as she was, she didn't allow it. Instead, she would brush him off and walk away. But why did hurt when she saw him troubled like that? Shaking her head of her thoughts, she knew that it was just the sense of loneliness that was making her think like this. So what if Quatre didn't greet her, or even smile at her for that matter, it didn't matter to her.  
  
When Relena seated her self, she got out her things and remained silent while she waited for their teacher to finish writing on the board. Taking a glance over her shoulder she rested her gaze on Wufei before she noticed another set of eyes on her, Heero's. Quickly turning back around again, Heero just watched as she tried covering up what she just did. Looking over at Wufei, he just seemed to be copying what was on the board. Glaring at him, he decided that he was just wasting his time since he looked to be completely ignoring him. Grabbing his exercise book and a pen, Heero started jotting down the notes from the board as well. Unknown to him though, Wufei was indeed watching him and knew all too well what he was implying by that.  
  
********************************  
  
Quatre still had no idea what to say as he made his way to Mr. Otto's classroom, should he be considerate and help this student out or should he be realistic and decline. He couldn't be judged if he said no, after all, he had his own studies to worry about. If he got anything below his father's expectations he knew that it would be like writing out his own death warrant, but then again, it didn't sound too bad when he thought about it. But even so, he wouldn't be asked if it wasn't something serious. Why didn't the student just hire a professional tutor? At least they were trained to help out in situations like this, not him.  
  
Taking a deep breath before walking into the room he saw Mr. Otto leaning at the front of his desk, talking to the student who Quatre was going to meet. Only taking a glance at the person he already knew who it was, and for some reason, it didn't surprise him either.  
  
"Ah, Quatre good timing. This is the student I was talking about," Mr. Otto said as he looked from Quatre to the student in front of him.  
  
The student turned around to face Quatre properly while he smiled and nodded to them, "Hello, Miss Relena."  
  
"Ah, so you two know each other. Excellent, I have gone through everything with Relena so now it is just a matter of your answer."  
  
Relena stared at him as she waited for his reaction. When the teacher talked to her about this 'tutoring' business when everyone had left the room, she had doubts on whether or not it would help. As nice as Quatre may be, it was their final year at school so he would have no time to waste on people like her who had no hope of passing the year even if her life depended on it.  
  
"If Miss Relena wants me to help her, I will be more then happy to assist her," Quatre finally said, much to his and Relena's surprise. 'Where did that come from?' Wasn't he about to decline the offer? He was suppose to suggest a professional tutor to them, wasn't he? He may have if it was anyone but Relena. Why did he always hold a soft spot for her?  
  
"Excellent, I'm sure Relena is most grateful," Mr. Otto said as he looked over to Relena.  
  
"I never asked for his help," Relena started, much to Mr. Otto's surprise, "Why did you insist on forcing him to help me? He has enough to do as it is. I'm sorry but I can't," she said as she walked past Quatre and out the room. Mr. Otto was shocked by her words, he thought that she would be happy having a bright student like Quatre help her out, while on the other hand, Quatre had expected this and started rushing after her.   
  
Relena didn't get far as she walked away from the room, she managed to only walk a few steps away before she was stopped by someone grabbing hold of her arm.  
  
Turning her head to the person behind her she saw Quatre looking at her with concerned eyes, "Please Miss Relena, no one forced me to accept tutoring you. I decided to do this myself. Please, allow me to help you."  
  
"But Quatre, I-I can't," Relena said as she tried pulling away. Much to her surprise though, Quatre released his hold on her instantly as she tried prying her arm away from him. She thought that he wasn't about to let go of her until she agreed with him.  
  
"Miss Relena, I won't force you but let me just say that you can and will pass the year if you let me help you. You are intelligent but you seem to have lost your self confidence in everything you do," She looked very doubtful with what he was saying, he was stuck on words himself, but he tried continuing, "I-I believe in you Miss Relena. I know you can do this. It's your decision I know, but I just wanted to let you know that I will do what I can for you." Rerunning through what he had just said, he felt about ready to hit him self over the head with a mallet. If he was in her position, he would just laugh at the words he just used. She didn't need any useless babbling like that, what he had just said would have gone straight through her head by now. But in a sense, he was speaking the truth and was serious about what he had just said to her.  
  
About ready for her to do what he thought she would, which was laugh in his face, he noticed Relena lowering her gaze when he said this.   
  
She was shocked by his words that's for sure, 'I believe in you' was the one that really stood out to her. The offer did sound appealing she admitted, with his help she could maybe have the hope to pass the year after all. She was struggling with everything but, what if all his efforts to help her go to waste? What if she makes him fail because he spent too much time trying to help her pass? It was embarrassing enough that he knew how bad she was doing. She must look like a total fool to him right now; she was sure that if she asked for his help that he would probably judge her on everything she couldn't do when it was probably the easiest thing he could ever solve.  
  
Lifting her gaze up to meet his, she was about to decline his offer but she got drawn into his eyes again. They were filled with concern for her, and held a sense of truth within them. He was serious about what he had just said, she could see it clearly, and he seemed to be begging for her to let him help her. Sighing in defeat, once again she whispered, "Please help me." She hated how he could just make her do that, it was the same as what happened back at the airport.  
  
Her words were almost inaudible for anyone to hear. If the corridor wasn't completely isolated, then Quatre would have had no idea what she had just said but by her body language, she seemed to tell him that she accepted. She still looked very doubtful and some what ashamed that she was accepting his offer though. But it was enough, she asked for his help with her own words now and he will prove to her that she isn't as hopeless as what she believes she is.  
  
"Would you like to study at my house, or would you prefer your home?" Quatre asked.  
  
Relena's head shot up as he asked this and she quickly replied, "NO!" Quatre went wide eyed at her outburst so she quickly added, "I-I mean, uh, may we study at your house? If it's not too much trouble that is."  
  
"Of course not, I just want things to be as convenient for you as possible. I don't want you feeling insecure or anything."  
  
"No, I am fine but what days would you like to see me? I will be fine with any time; I don't want you having to sacrifice anything because of me."  
  
Quatre was saddened by her behaviour, did she really think that she was that much of a bother to everyone she was with? Was it her insecurities on people's judgment on her that made her want to be alone all the time? He wasn't one to talk though; he was the same in that department. He just went about it in another way from her. Instead of isolating himself like she did, he would always project the friendliest smile he could and speak to whoever he met with that much politeness that he wouldn't have to worry about people hating him.   
  
Then again, it was an open doorway for people to take advantage on him, and he was aware of that. It was just his way to judge a person's character better. Bad if they take advantage on him, good if they return his kindness, it was as simple as that. Although, Relena had done neither, so he was still confused on how he should treat her, but he knew for one thing that he better watch what he says for she will easily take it the wrong way and never talk to him again. She needed this though, as much as she my deny it; he needed to help restore her self confidence, and maybe work his way through her barriers to help solve what other problems she may have, which would be buried deep within her, eating away at her soul.  
  
"I'm not really sure on what times would be best so, what if you come over after school? I will need to look over your work though so; you might need to bring all your books with you. Is that alright?"  
  
Relena nodded so he continued, "It will be hard to know how often you may need to come over but I will arrange with you the days I would like to see you. Does this sound ok?"  
  
Relena nodded in response again, she found it strange that he kept asking for her approval to every suggestion he made. He was the one going out of his way so he shouldn't really care what she thought.  
  
They stood there for a few moments in silence when he had finished going through what he needed with her. He had nothing else to go through with her so, he patiently waited until Relena made her move to leave but while he just watched her he suddenly saw her eyes turn glassy. Tilting her head down to look at the ground she suddenly whispered to him, "I'm so sorry to have you waste your time over such a weak and stupid person like me."  
  
That statement was one which Quatre wasn't expecting, where did that come from?  
  
"I-I know that it is selfish for me to get you doing this for me," Relena continued, feeling the tears swell up in her eye lids, "I haven't exactly been the best person to associate with and it still surprises me that you are still willing to help me but-"  
  
Relena stopped mid sentence when she suddenly felt a hand reach under her chin, the sudden contact made her heart stop.   
  
Quatre titled Relena's head up to face his so that he could look into her eyes better. He almost felt like crying just by seeing her like this, giving her one of his concerned yet understanding smiles he said, "You're not weak Miss Relena. Asking for help is a good sign, not a bad one. I am not going to help you just so that I could put you down even further. As I have said, I will help you with anything you have problems with. And it's a promise which I will keep, I will not break it. You have not been a bad person to associate with. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."  
  
'Why did he have to apologize? He hasn't done anything wrong,' Relena thought to herself. His eyes were filled with such sadness concerning what he had just said and she felt so horrible that it was because of her.  
  
"I-I tried prying into your personal life when I had only just met you, I spoke so rudely to your mother and just now, here I was trying to force you into letting me tutor you. I can understand why you want me to stay away from you."  
  
Relena couldn't believe what he was saying, 'He thinks that this is his fault?' Wanting to protest she opened her mouth and said, "Quatre, I-"  
  
Before she could even explain he placed a finger on her lips before she could say anything more, "Please don't try to cover up what I have done wrong. Maybe with me helping you, I could atone for what I have done wrong to you."  
  
Relena wanted to break down right here and now with what he had just said. She held back her tears as best as she could but one fell a stray down her cheek so Quatre gently wiped it away with the back of his hand before moving away from her. The touch from his hand was so warm across Relena's cheek; she could still feel it linger there as Quatre moved away. He gave her a small smile and said, "I better not waste anymore of your time. We have last lesson together don't we? Shall we walk to the car park together after lesson?"  
  
Relena just stood there with a blank expression on her face. For some reason, she was at a loss for words.   
  
Taking that as a yes since she wasn't protesting he decided that he had better take his leave, "Well, see you later Miss Relena."  
  
Saying his good byes, Quatre started making his way out the building. As he was doing so, Mr. Otto had just walked out of his class room and noticed Relena just standing there.  
  
"Are you alright Relena?" Mr. Otto asked as he walked up to her.  
  
Shaking herself out of her shocked state she looked up to Mr. Otto and said, "Yes, I'm fine."  
  
"Is Quatre still going to tutor you?"  
  
Relena slowly nodded to him, "Yes, he convinced me."  
  
Mr. Otto raised an eyebrow at her remark and said, "Relena, think of this as an opportunity, not something to be regretting. That boy will be able to help you," Before he left her though, he quickly added, "Be sure that his efforts don't go in vain though alright?" He warned her.  
  
Relena nodded again as he started heading away from her. Looking out to where Quatre had left her, she stared at the exit of the building while her hand lifted to where Quatre had touched her on the cheek. Feeling about ready to cry she turned to leave as well.   
  
As Mr. Otto made his way to the office he just remembered that he needed to pass on a message to someone. Going up to one of the office lady's desk he asked her, "Um, excuse me for disturbing you but could you contact Mrs. Darlian please? I need to pass on a message to her."  
  
"Certainly," the office lady said as she started looking up Relena's home number on the computer. After several seconds she found Relena's details and picked up the phone to dial their number, "What message shall I pass on?"  
  
"Tell her that I had a talk to Quatre Raberba Winner, as she requested and tell her that he agreed to help tutor her daughter."  
  
The office lady nodded and pushed in the required numbers to contact Mrs. Darlian. Holding the receiver to her ear after dialing in their home number she waited for the line to pick up while Mr. Otto nodded his thanks and made his way to the staff room so that he could eat his lunch.  
  
********************************  
  
As the school bell sounded to dismiss everyone from school, Quatre started packing away his accounting books. He and Duo were the only ones in this class together, besides Relena, Dorothy, Sylvia and Wufei plus a few other students but they sat on their own from the rest of the class, Relena was always on her own while Dorothy, Sylvia and Wufei sat with each other across the other side of the room.  
  
Duo had finished packing up before Quatre so while he waited for his friend he asked, "Hey Quatre, me and the rest of the gang were thinking about going bowling after school. Feel like coming along?"  
  
Quatre apologetically smiled at Duo and said, "Thank you for inviting me, but I'm afraid that I am busy tonight."  
  
Duo just looked at in questionably and asked, "Doing what exactly? Catching up on work, which you are more then a month in front of already? Geez Quatre, if you keep falling behind like this you might actually finish your work on the date it should be completed, not six months or something earlier. Hmm, we can't have that now can we?"  
  
Quatre just looked at him with confusion until Duo decided to simplify what he said, "Look Quatre, you are always so busy trying to finish work which is not to be handed up to us for like over a month from now. You need to get out and about, have some fun every now and then. Now, with your brains, I don't have to define to you what the word 'fun' means do I?"  
  
Quatre just smirked and shook his head at Duo and said, "I'm actually going to help Miss. Relena out with some things today."  
  
Duo just looked at him in astonishment, "Come again?"  
  
"I said I'm going to be helping Miss Relena out with some things today," Quatre repeated as he looked over to where Relena was still packing away her things.  
  
"Quatre, you are going to get yourself into a lot of trouble if you keep being around her like this," Duo mentioned, keeping his voice low.  
  
Quatre looked at him questionably while Duo just raised an eyebrow at him. Before he could continue he noticed Relena had finished packing her things and was just standing there as she kept hesitantly looking towards them. Taking a glance at her, he narrowed his eyes in the process and continued on to Quatre with a serious tone, "I would watch myself if I were you Quatre. Like I mentioned to you earlier, you are going to make pretty big enemies if you talk to her too much."  
  
Quatre kept silent as he watched Duo trying to plead with him not to be friends with Relena, but why not? He kept seeing her alone, with no one ever talking to her, she kept to herself, she never seemed to bring any harm upon anyone, how could she be a bad person? Quatre still questions this in his mind every time he sees her and wished that he could have started school here earlier, just so that he could see for himself just why she is judged as poorly as she was.  
  
"Are you saying that you will become one of these 'enemies' of mine if I start hanging around her too much?"  
  
Duo was speechless when he said that. Quatre had become one of his closest friends ever since he started here. Duo got along great with him, there was more to him self then just the pranks and jokes and Quatre seemed to be the only one who could see that. He never judged him; he would always help him out and listen to what ever it was he had to say. Quatre was the sort of person who anyone could be friends with and he seemed to like getting to know different kinds of people. Because of his kind heart, he was very naive and seemed to think that he could be on everyone's good side if they just let him, this is what scared Duo. Not everyone is as kind and understanding as what Quatre is and if he continued associating with the wrong sorts of people; he could get very emotionally hurt in the process, maybe even physically. He was just trying to help him, he had only been at Tooi Yoake High for only a couple of weeks, and he still wouldn't have the idea of how things worked yet.  
  
"Quatre, don't try and turn the tables on me now. I won't turn against you because of this b-"  
  
"Then understand what I'm trying to do," Quatre sadly said to him. With that said he walked away from Duo and walked over to where Relena was waiting.  
  
Duo looked blankly at Quatre but glared at Relena. Muttering a few curses under his breath he roughly opened the door to the room and stomped out in a rage.  
  
"Sorry about that Miss Relena, shall we go?" Quatre asked when he approached her.  
  
"Quatre, you had other plans didn't you? I don't want you sacrificing things because of me," Relena said as she stared at the door which Duo made his loud exit out of.  
  
"Helping you pass the year is more important Miss Relena; I can go out with them some other time. Shall we go?" With that, Quatre started heading for the door, knowing Relena would try debating with him again.  
  
"But Quatre," Relena said to him just before he could open the door, "I don't wan-"  
  
Suddenly Quatre felt himself being pushed aside as Wufei made his way in-between them and just glared at Quatre saying, "Don't try socializing in the middle of a doorway Winner!" And with that he cocked his head up and made his way out the entrance.   
  
Sylvia come up to him shortly afterwards and said, "Hi Quatre, how have yo-"  
  
Before she could finish though, Dorothy came up behind her and pushed Sylvia out the door, "Hey! What are you doing!?" Sylvia yelled at her but Dorothy didn't say a word as they exited and left Quatre and Relena alone once again.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Quatre suddenly said, "You don't want to be a burden."   
  
Looking up at him in confusion he just smiled and said, "That's what you were going to say right? You don't want to be a burden."  
  
Nodding to him as she was about to continue, he suddenly opened the door and said, "Please don't try making up any more excuses Miss Relena, I have made my decision and I plan on sticking by it." Still keeping his hand on the handle as he walked out the class he held the door open for Relena to exit as well. He never seemed to stop surprising Relena, even as they started heading to the car park, Relena still wondered how he was able to just read people's minds like that. He had done that to her on more then one occasion and Relena found it hard to believe that he could just do that.  
  
Unlocking his car, Quatre walked over to the passenger side door and held it open for Relena to enter. Relena blinked before looking at the door then back at him with a puzzled expression but nodded her thanks before seating herself. As he closed the door behind her she put on her seat belt and waited patiently for him.  
  
As Quatre got in himself and put on his own seat belt, he put his sun glasses on and said, "We should go to your home first."  
  
"What! Why?" Relena said as she stared at him in pure shock.  
  
Quatre just looked at her blankly and said, "Um, your parents won't know where you are, will they?"  
  
"I can ring them at your place can't I?"  
  
Quatre just stared at her. She looked to be begging with him not to go near her house, but why? "Well, do you have all your books?"  
  
Relena was about to blurt out yes but then she just remembered that she didn't have music or English today so all of that work was at home. She cursed to herself for not leaving it in her locker at school, "Um, no I don't actually."  
  
Quatre grew very concerned when he noticed her sadden when she said this; he regretted even suggesting for them to go to her home now. But then he remembered her mother. He still needed to apologize about his rude behaviour that day, plus he needed to talk to Relena's parents about the tutoring he was about to do for her. He could ring them yes, but it wouldn't be inconsiderate of him not to tell them face to face. It was after all, a suggestion by a teacher at school, he needed their permission first.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss Relena, but it would only be fair if we talked to your parents face to face about this. I hope you understand why I'm doing this."  
  
He was right, as much as she didn't want him to go there; she had to have the business of this tutoring thing sorted out. She couldn't wait to see the look on her mother's face. Oh well, she never appreciated anything she did anyway so it didn't really matter.   
  
********************************  
  
Relena gave the directions to where her house was as Quatre followed what she said and found her house without any problems, it was pretty close to where he had picked her up that day he was beginning school.  
  
Turning off the car he heard Relena say, "Quatre, can we use another excuse other then the fact that you will be tutoring me?"  
  
Quatre was stunned by her request. Taking off his glasses he looked at her in question so she continued, "Please? Can we just say that you will be helping me with music or something? It's partially right."  
  
Quatre didn't know what to say. In a way, he could understand why she didn't want to say anything about the tutoring. By the impressions he got of her mother and the job which her father seemed to have, maybe she would feel ashamed about them knowing this. Their expectations of her could possibly be pretty high, like what his father expected of him. But if Relena was failing everything, why wouldn't they go about the effort to help her out? But what was getting him a little worried was the fact that she wanted him to lie to her parents. What if they found out about it being a lie? He really had no idea what he should say to her as she patinetly waited for him to reply. Looking back over at Relena, he noticed her eyes were pleading with him to just do her this favour. As much as he didn't feel right about doing this he nodded to her and got out the car.  
  
Sighing in relief, she got out the car and started making her way to the front door, with Quatre following behind her.   
  
Getting out her keys from her jacket, she was about to unlock the door when it suddenly opened revealing Mrs. Darlian.  
  
"Ah, Quatre! Oh it's good to see you again, please, please come in," she greeted as she held the door out wider for them.  
  
Both Relena and Quatre just looked at her with surprised yet shocked expressions. Shrugging it off, Quatre waited for Relena to enter before him but she didn't seem to move, what he didn't know was that she was waiting for him to enter first, "Please, after you Miss Relena."  
  
"No, after you Quatre."  
  
Quatre looked at her puzzled but decided not to press it on any further. Entering the house before her he suddenly felt a hand press against his back, "Please Quatre, let's sit down shall we?" Mrs. Darlian suggested as she guided Quatre to their lounge room. Relena narrowed her eyes at Mrs. Darlian but kept her comments to herself as she followed slowly behind them.  
  
As Quatre was guided to their lounge room she offered for him to sit and said, "Relena, go get something for Quatre to eat and drink please."  
  
Relena just glared at her as she said this but as she was about to head to the kitchen she heard Quatre say, "It's ok, I'm fine, really."  
  
Mrs. Darlian saw Relena's glare and figured that Quatre thought it was directed to him, "I insist Quatre; it is no trouble at all. RIGHT, Relena?"  
  
Relena didn't answer, instead she just continued on towards the kitchen.  
  
Quatre was feeling really uncomfortable at the moment, some how, he had the feeling that he had started another bit of conflict between Mrs. Darlian and Relena again. Plus what made him curious was the way Mrs. Darlian greeted them at the door. 'How did she know we were there?' He pondered. With the way she beamed when she saw him, he felt as though she knew he was coming, but how can that be?  
  
Relena returned some time later as she brought in a tray with some tea and cake for Quatre and Mrs. Darlian. Placing it on the coffee table she served Quatre his cup and then served her mother's cup, "Didn't you get any for yourself?" Mrs. Darlian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
"I'm fine," Relena answered and she started passing a serving of cake to Quatre and then a piece to Mrs. Darlian. Before walking out the room Quatre said, "Thank you Miss Relena, I'm sorry for making you go out of your way for me like this." He was feeling so guilty at the moment and Mrs. Darlian's next comment didn't make it any easier for him either.  
  
"Why, what ever are you talking about Quatre? You deserve the best hospitality we can offer, I'm sorry that it isn't exactly up to standards today though," Mrs. Darlian said as she narrowed her eyes at Relena. Relena just ignored her and made her way back to the kitchen.  
  
This was not going very well at all; Quatre could feel the tension building between Mrs. Darlian and Relena. And it was all his fault. He felt too ashamed to even touch or sip the food he was offered but when he felt Mrs. Darlian's gaze on him he knew that he better eat or he would be offending her.  
  
As he started eating the cake he felt his hands slightly shake at the way he could feel Mrs. Darlian's gaze watch every move he made, "Mmm, this is very delicious Mrs. Darlian. Did you bake this yourself?" Quatre suddenly said.  
  
"Haha no, I bought it at the local cake store," she said smiling.  
  
"Really? I thought it would have been homemade by the taste of it," Quatre felt like kicking himself with the empty compliments he was giving, he was only doing it to relive the nerves that were building in him. Plus with the way she was watching him, he assumed that she was waiting for that sort of comment.  
  
Silence filled the room once more, until Mrs. Darlian suddenly asked, "So, what brings you here Quatre?"  
  
Quatre was sipping his tea when she asked this and was very close to choking on it as well. Taking a glance at her he kept getting the feeling that she seemed to know something which he didn't. He almost felt like asking her himself why he was here? She looked to know the answer better then he did. The look in her eyes were somehow testing him, depending on his answer she will either smile and remain friendly or turn angry and kick him out. But how should he answer? He could see that she was patiently waiting for him to answer her but these few moments that were passing by as he kept stalling felt like an eternity. He was not all too good at lying and he felt that she knew that as well. Should he tell her the truth and betray Relena so that he remained in Mrs. Darlian's good books, or should he lie to keep his word to Relena?  
  
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Author's Note: Yay! People on another site I submitted this to have liked my story so far, because of them, I will continue on this. Not expecting any reviews but since i get a few else where i will submit these here anyway. It would be cool if there were people reading though, the more feedback i get the better it will be for me ^_^ Well, I will appreciate reviews, if not then oh well, not biggy.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	6. Chapter 6

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
As Duo made his way to the usual table where he and the rest of his friends sat, he was thinking of how great his hot dog was going to taste. He had ordered the lot with it and just the look of it was making his mouth water. Sitting himself down next to Mueller he rubbed his hands together and licked his lips at the look of his food. He had gotten himself more then just a hot dog but compared to everything else, his hot dog was the most eye catching sight, everyone else would agree with that but not in the same way he sees it.  
  
"What the hell is on that thing?" Hilde asked as she stared at the sight of the hot dog.  
  
"Hehe, this is my lunch, that's what it is," Duo replied as he was about to pick it up, "Nothing can compare to this hot dog, I double checked to be sure everything was added to it.  
  
"That's a hot dog!? You have got to be kidding," Mariemaia said when she looked over at it as well.  
  
"Geez, don't just judge food by the way it looks, you would be surprised how good it tastes."  
  
Going back to eating their food again, Duo couldn't hold back the urge to just make it sit there any longer. Lifting it up to his mouth, he was just about to take a large bite out from it, until he caught a glimpse of Quatre, he didn't seem as cheerful as what he usually was. Quatre looked to be so lost in thought; he had not spoken a word to anyone yet. All he was doing was just playing around with his food with a blank expression over his face.  
  
"Your foods not going to eat it self up you know," Duo said to him as he kept hold of his hot dog.  
  
Quatre glanced up at him and gave him a weak smile in response as he slowly started taking in small servings of his pasta. Quatre couldn't even taste the food in his mouth, it felt like chewing on rubber from all he was getting from it.  
  
There was silence at the table ever since Duo had spoken. What Quatre didn't notice was that everyone was watching him.  
  
"Hey Quatre, are you ok?" Alex suddenly asked him as he patted him over the back.  
  
When Quatre lifted his gaze, he was surprised to see everyone looking at him with concerned expressions. This was making him feel even worse; he didn't want anyone worrying over him. Wanting to put their worries to rest he forced a smile at everyone and said, "Yes, I'm fine, I'm just tired that's all." As he got up from his seat he noticed that everyone still looked worried so he added, "Sorry to make you all worry. I just have a bit of a headache. I'm just going to go to the toilets ok?" And with that he left the table and started making his way to the toilets. He really didn't want to trouble anyone over such small matters; maybe washing his face will cleanse away his thoughts and help him keep a straight face.   
  
While looking about the cafeteria though, his sights came to a rest on Relena. She was by herself as normal and was writing in her book once again. Before leaving the cafeteria he watched her for a moment before whispering, "Miss Relena, I'm so sorry."  
  
Duo didn't take his eyes off from Quatre as he left the table, while observing him he noticed Quatre pause as he appeared to be looking at something briefly before heading out.  
  
"What could be troubling him? He has been so quite and so withdrawn since this morning," Hilde said sadly, "He is usually so cheerful, it makes me so upset just looking at him like this."  
  
"Yeah, I tried talking to him about it at one stage but he kept shrugging it off saying that he was fine," Mariemaia mentioned.  
  
"Could something of happened to him last night?" Alex suggested. This got everyone's attention.  
  
While they talked about the possibilities of what could have happened to Quatre, Duo knew all too well what might have happened. The thought of it made him lose his appetite. Pushing away his food, he looked over to where Relena was sitting. He knew that Quatre was with Relena last night and he knew that something like this was going to happen. 'You can never pass up the opportunity to hurt who ever comes near you, huh Relena?' Duo cursed to himself as he narrowed his gaze on her. It was bad enough that Quatre was upset because of her, and she had just spoiled his lunch as well.  
  
Sighing to her self, Relena closed up her book and rested her face in her hands, she hardly got any sleep last night and it was really taking its toll on her today. She couldn't believe her attitude last night; things were beginning to turn in the right direction for her too. And it would have remained that way if she wasn't so arrogant.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
As Relena made her entrance back into the lounge room, expecting to see Quatre and her mother getting along like a house on fire, she noticed that the room was completely empty. Before anything could register to her she heard the front door close and watched as Mrs. Darlian made her way into the room.   
  
Upon seeing Relena, Mrs. Darlian couldn't keep in the frustration she was feeling at the moment, "Oh so NOW you decide to come in and make your entrance. It's too bad but your guest has already left. Excuse me, I used the wrong terms, with the way he has been treated here, I doubt that he could be considered a guest."  
  
Relena could easily see that for herself that Quatre had left but what she wanted to know was why Quatre had left without her, wasn't he suppose to be helping her with her studies?  
  
"Where did Quatre go?" Relena asked her. Looking at her, Relena could see the murder in her gaze as she stared Relena down. It almost seemed like a stupid question to Mrs. Darlian as if Relena were suppose to know the reason why he had left.  
  
"You never change do you Relena? To be honest, I can't see why Quatre even considered coming here to help you. You are THAT arrogant that you don't even care about anyone else's feelings do you? I mean, here he comes being the sweetest gentleman that one can expect of him, and so what do you do? You treat him in the most disrespectful behaviour. Is getting him something to eat and drink really THAT hard for you!?"   
  
Relena couldn't reply back, she was so shocked and upset over her mother's words that it was taking her all of her dignity to not break down right here and now in front of her. Did Quatre really leave because of her? She was only annoyed at her mother at the time she was serving them food, did Quatre think that that was directed at him? 'What have I done...'  
  
"What I wouldn't give for a child like Quatre, at least he has manners and treats people with respect. Not to mention, he actually listens to you when you are talking to him," with that she brushed past Relena, feeling content with herself as she left her alone in the lounge room.  
  
Relena didn't remain in the lounge room for long, running up the stairs she burst into her room and leaned against the closed door, letting the tears flow down her face as she started sobbing. Was everything that Quatre said to her at school a lie? Did he fill her up on false hope just to make her feel like this? She might not have shown this to Quatre but every time he paid her any form of attention, she couldn't help but feel happy knowing that at least someone cared. Even hoping that he would help her made her happy, she admitted that she did everything she could to make him change his mind but deep down she didn't want him to.   
  
'Nothing good ever seems to happen to me, is trying to be happy over any little thing a crime?' Clutching her chest she cried out louder in agony over the twisted fate she seemed to live. How could she blame Quatre for anything, everything was her fault, her mother was right, she was an arrogant person, ignorant and selfish too. It was her fault from the beginning that everything is like this for her now; she had no right to blame anyone but herself for her pain. 'Nothing good will ever happen to me because I deserve it, it's my fault, it's my fault.' Damning herself for everything she started crying out even more tears of shame upon herself. And she continued for around an hour before suddenly falling asleep.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Feeling tears swell up in her eyes once from the memories of last night, she picked up her things and headed out the cafeteria. With the amount of times she cried, she wondered how it was possible that her eyes haven't dried up yet. As she took a few step away from the cafeteria she suddenly heard her name being called, "Stay right there Relena."  
  
She froze in her steps when she heard that voice. She was in trouble now; there was no other reason why this person would want to talk to her again. With what had happened between them anyway.  
  
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she slowly turned around to come face to face with the person she had never been on good terms with ever since they basically met, "Hello Duo," Relena softly said.  
  
"Don't say 'hello' to me you bitch, what exactly did you do to Quatre last night?" He asked her as he kept glaring at her. He was just going to be straight to the point with her, he would never talk to her unless if it involved something important, like his friends. Especially with the kind heart Quatre has, he couldn't believe anyone would want to hurt him like 'she' did.  
  
"I...Um...I-"  
  
"We don't have forever for you to make up some excuse Relena! Doesn't it occur to you why people don't want to associate with you? The first person to even take note of your existence for a long time has been Quatre, if anyone else with a heart was in your position they would feel happy that at least someone was talking to them but what do you do? You use him for what ever it was you needed from him last night and crush him in the process. Oh hang on, let me rephrase that, if anyone in your position actually HAD a heart, they wouldn't be in your position at all."  
  
"Duo-" She didn't even have the time to explain before he suddenly grabbed her by the arm, squeezing it with the force of his hatred over her, which was making Relena whimper and squirm under the pressure. Her mouth opened slightly as she let out a cry of pain, kneeling on the ground by Duo's feet, his grip on her arm was unbearable, she couldn't even feel it anymore, "Duo, please I-"  
  
"You deserve whatever's thrown at you Relena! Now are you going to answer my question or-"  
  
"DUO!" Quatre yelled as he ran up to him, grabbing hold of the arm which held Relena's, "LET GO OF HER!"  
  
Duo was shocked to see Quatre stopping him, not to mention surprised by his outburst. He still had things to say to Relena but by the look on Quatre's eyes, he decided to do what he said. Slowly letting go of Relena's arm Duo removed his grip on her but noticed that Quatre still had a hold of his arm. Looking up at Quatre he noticed that his eyes showed nothing but pure rage at him, he was angry, no, he was above angry. Duo couldn't help but feel slightly shaken by the way Quatre looked, he never seemed like the type to get angry over anything, he had never heard him yell in such a rage either.  
  
"Quatre, I was jus-"  
  
"Duo! You had NO right to hurt her like that, what is your problem!? No one deserves to be treated in such a manner!" As he let go of his grip on Duo's arm he pushed him aside in the process, causing Duo to be thrown a few steps away from him.  
  
"I was just trying to find out what happened to you. You weren't talking or anything so I figured for a fact that she must have done something to you and-"  
  
"SO THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO HURT HER LIKE YOU WERE DOING!?" Quatre yelled back at him, Duo looked at him wide eyed, as did Relena.   
  
People who were around the area started taking attention to the outbursts Quatre was having, expecting a fight, they started gathering around, even people from the cafeteria were starting to come out and see what the commotion was about. Quatre wasn't paying attention to the people gathering around, he kept his focus on Duo and continued, "Duo, you know NOTHING about what happened last night, why are you so quick to judge that Relena would be the one in the wrong? Because she has a bad reputation? Did it ever occur to you that maybe 'I' could have been in the wrong?"  
  
Hilde and the others started coming out from the cafeteria at that moment, noticing the people around Quatre and Duo they couldn't believe their eyes.  
  
Sylvia's group and Heero's group started heading over to the gathering where many students were rushing to get to. Standing above a hill they all looked down and noticed Quatre and Duo mouthing off at each other.  
  
"Wow, I never knew Quatre had it in him," Meiran commented.  
  
"Hehe I hope he knocks Duo's block off, GO QUATRE!" Sylvia called out.  
  
Dorothy eyed the situation critically, looking down at her younger brother she couldn't believe what she was seeing. 'This can't be right? Ever-so-gentle-Quatre? In a fight!?' Looking down at Duo she noticed Relena on the ground not too far away from them, watching them with a frightened expression over her face.  
  
Heero had no idea what was going on but by the look of Relena being there beside them he could tell that this some how revolved around her. About ready to join in with the fight he suddenly felt a hand grab his shoulder, glaring at the culprit he noticed that it was Trowa.  
  
"Don't meddle in other people's affairs. I doubt if anything serious will happen anyway, especially if it involves Quatre."  
  
Heero was not convinced, he knew Duo longer than he knew Quatre and he had been having his suspicions about Quatre ever since he started school. He was almost positive that he is the cause to Relena being on the ground like that. As much as he wanted to help Duo out, he kept his ground but never pulled his eyes away from the situation.  
  
Midii wasn't caring much about the fight, leaning on Wufei's arm she suddenly became surprised at how tense he was. Looking up at him she noticed the anger in his eyes, much the same as Heero's. Midii knew all too well what was making him so annoyed so she tried snuggling up to him further so that he could pay her some attention. Wufei had no interest in Midii at the moment, if it wasn't for her keeping him pinned to where he stood he would be down there right now joining in the fight.  
  
Duo was shocked by the words coming out of Quatre's mouth. He was only trying to help and here he was mouthing off at him like he had just killed someone. He was in a bad enough mood as it was and with Quatre adding to his annoyance he wasn't thinking anymore, "What is YOUR problem Quatre! I only want to help you! It was a fair enough assumption to think SHE did something to you. YOU don't know her like most of us here do, I'm only trying to look out for you. YOU WERE THE STUBBORN ONE TO NOT TELL ANY OF US WHAT YOUR PROBLEM WAS SO I COULD ONLY ASSUME IT WAS HER WHO DID SOMETHING TO YOU!"  
  
"Just because I didn't want to talk about my problems with you doesn't give you the right to try and force them out of Miss Relena. It had nothing to do with you so don't sick your nose into other people's business."  
  
Duo couldn't take it anymore, if Quatre wanted to stand by Relena's side and be hated by everyone then that's just fine with him. But if Quatre's going to be a prick about it then he will consider him being no better then Relena. He meant no harm to Quatre and this is the way he treats him, he was a concerned friend, if he didn't want him to 'stick his nose into his own business' then fine, Duo had other friends to stand by him. If his friendship with Quatre means nothing to him then so be it.  
  
"Is that the way you see it Quatre? I'm of annoyance to you because I was worried? Well I'm SORRY FOR CARING! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN RELENA! YOU WILL BE GOING DOWN IN NO TIME FLAT!"  
  
Now that wasn't a good move on Duo's behave, in fact, he just made a BIG mistake to say something like that, "...What did you say?" Quatre asked him, almost tauntingly. He DARED him to try and say that again, it was bad enough that Quatre was tripping off his own guilt about what happened last night that he was saying things which he didn't mean, but Duo had no right to insult Relena like that. He quite liked Relena and saw no problem with her, she as going through enough pain as it was, so he didn't need to hear this sort of thing from someone who held a grudge. Quatre actually thought highly of Duo, he seemed like the type to not hate someone just by appearances or reputations but by hearing his words now, that thought on him was completely thrown out of mind now.  
  
"You heard me Quatre! You and Relena are both the same, you're both so full of yourselves that you think you have a right to push around anyone you want. I was convinced to start off with that you were completely different from her but now I can see that manipulating people for your own benefit is all that matters to yo-" Before he could even finish Quatre made a dash towards him and punched him in the gut, causing Duo to double over as he clenched his stomach.   
  
Looking at Duo on the ground as he was holding his stomach, he couldn't believe what he had just done. He got so angry that he just couldn't hold it in anymore, he didn't deserve that, he was only concerned about him. 'Oh no! What have I done?' As Quatre was about to apologize to Duo for his foolish actions Duo took this opportunity to punch Quatre in the cheek, causing him to stumble a few steps away from him.   
  
As Quatre was rubbing his cheek Duo got up from the ground and rushed for him again, pulling his fist back to take a stronger strike at Quatre. Quatre had his head off to the side at that moment as he rubbed his cheek, he didn't even notice that Duo was going to have another crack at him.   
  
'No... NO!' Relena yelled in her head as forced herself off the ground to come to Quatre's aid, she was not about to have Quatre seriously hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself if she just allowed it to happen.  
  
Hilde and the rest of the group went into shock when they saw Relena dash to Quatre as Duo was about to punch him again, they could see what was about to happen, "DUO STOP!" Hilde yelled as she started dashing towards him, she had to get by the crowd quickly or she wouldn't be able to stop him in time, Mariemaia and everyone else started rushing after her.  
  
Heero and Wufei went into sudden shock when they saw Relena dash for Quatre as well. "DAMMIT!" Heero yelled as he dashed towards the fight. Wufei wanted to do the same but Midii was holding him back, "LET GO WOMAN!" Wufei yelled as he pushed Midii off his arm. With her off him Wufei sprinted towards the fight, he was right behind Heero as they started to try and push people out of the way. Trowa went after them as well, not wanting them to do anything foolish but could understand their concerns for Relena's safety.  
  
Midii pouted when she watched Wufei ran off, she cursed herself for not pulling him away sooner. Meiran on the other hand smirked as she watched what was about to happen to Relena. Sylvia grew angry at Duo hitting her Quatre like that and couldn't wait for Heero and/or Wufei to go and knock his block off. Dorothy on the other hand just watched it as it was coming, if anything she should be jumping for joy that Quatre got whooped in the face and should be begging for Duo to smack him out again but for some reason, she was feeling nothing, nothing at all. Instead, she was processing the verbal fight with in her mind, what Quatre mainly said was what she was mainly focusing herself on.  
  
Everything came in slow motion from here. Quatre was beginning to turn his gaze to Duo and noticed that he was about to hit him again but what worried Quatre even more was the fact that Relena was rushing for him as well. His eyes widened at what he knew was coming but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to move, he was frozen, with the rush of anger that came over him ever since he saw Duo grab Relena he had the overwhelming shock of guilt run over him, it just froze him solid.  
  
Duo didn't even notice Relena come towards them, he was too focused on hitting Quatre that he didn't care what was going on around him. Pulling up all of his strength Duo swung his fist to connect to Quatre's stomach but what he didn't realize until it was too late was that Relena was shielding Quatre and took the blow in the stomach for him.  
  
Hilde, Heero and Wufei had just broken through the hysterical crowd as Duo struck Relena in the stomach. "MISS RELENA!" Quatre screamed as he finally snapped himself out of the state he was in. Relena had the wind knocked out of her as she started collapsing to the ground, she wanted to scream out in pain but it was just so unbearable that her lungs seemed malfunction. Everything started coming to her like a blur from her on, the blow to the stomach caused her to start falling to the ground, but before she hit it she felt a pair of arms wrap around her as she fell within someone's body. Looking up at the person who caught her she saw that Quatre was looking down at her with sadness and shock written all over him. Duo went into sudden shock at what he had just done, as much as he hated Relena he would never go as far as to hit her! Before he could do anything more Heero rushed to Relena while Duo was thrown to the ground by a furious Wufei, "YOU BASTARD!!!" Wufei yelled as he started thrashing Duo.  
  
"Let him go!" Hilde yelled as she tried pulling Wufei off from Duo. Mariemaia and the others had made it at this moment; Mariemaia went over to check on Quatre while Alex and Mueller went over to help Duo. "Get off him!" Alex yelled as he and Mueller started fighting Wufei when suddenly Trowa appeared and joined in, trying to stop them but failed miserably so he tried to reason with them with his fists. Although the fight mainly revolved around Wufei and Duo.  
  
"Relena..." Heero said as he approached her, kneeling beside her as he pushed a few loose strands of her hair off from her face. She coughed up some blood at that moment and moaned in the pain she was feeling.   
  
Mariemaia kneeled down beside Quatre and looked at his cheek, "Are you alright?" She asked as she gently stroked it.   
  
Heero didn't know how to react; he was both angry and upset with what had just happened.   
  
Allowing his emotions to take over he grabbed Quatre by the jacket and yelled, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"   
  
"HEY! Let him go!" Mariemaia said as she grabbed Heero's arm, but as much as she tried removing his arm from Quatre, his vice-like grip on him wouldn't budge.  
  
"Please, help Miss Relena first! You can hurt me as much as you want after but please take Miss Relena to the school nurse!" Quatre yelled hysterically at him.  
  
Heero looked at him blankly as he said that but what shocked him even more was when Relena lifted her arm to make Heero loosen the grip he had on Quatre's jacket. Looking down at her she shook her head at him as she removed his hand from Quatre. 'Relena?' Before he could do anything more, Mr. Walker, Mrs. Baker and the school principal made their appearances to the fight scene. Moving past the cheering crowd the principal yelled, "STOP THIS AT ONCE!"   
  
Mr. Walker went into the fight where the boys were still thrashing at each and started to try and separate them. When they were all off the ground Duo tried starting at Wufei again but was stopped by Hilde holding him back and Mr. Walker standing in front of him. Wufei was stopped by Trowa, while Mueller and Alex stepped back from them.  
  
"ALL OF YOU, TO THE OFFICE NOW!" The principal yelled as Mr. Walker motioned for the boys to follow.   
  
Wufei and Trowa followed him without any problems but that wasn't the case for everyone else.   
  
Mariemaia walked up to Alex and Mueller to look over their injuries, sighing in relief that they didn't inflict too much damage upon themselves, she wrapped her arms around Mueller and looked over to see if Duo was ok. He was a mess, since Wufei was a black belt at martial arts; he didn't exactly take it easy on him when they fought. Hilde lifted one of his arms over her shoulders but had a bit of trouble trying to support his weight. Alex and Mueller decided to take over for her as they both went to each side of Duo to help carry him.  
  
"Get him taken to the school nurse, I will call up his parents to get him taken to the hospital," the principal said as they adjusted their glasses.  
  
Alex and Mueller nodded and started carrying Duo over to the infirmary while Mariemaia went over to hug Hilde for comfort, noticing her crying over Duo's injuries.  
  
"Let's go follow them ok? Duo is tough, he will be ok, I just know it," Mariemaia said as she started to bring them both to a walking pace to follow the others.  
  
Mrs. Baker went up to check on Relena, looking over her she looked up at the principal who examined Relena from where she stood as well, "Heero, take Relena to the school nurse. Quatre, you come with me."   
  
Heero didn't need to be told twice, bringing Relena into his arms he and Mrs. Baker started heading to the school infirmary. Looking out at the crowd that had sat back and watched the entire thing the principal yelled, "There is nothing more to see here! Get yourselves ready for class; the bell will be going any minute now!"   
  
The crowd started to pout and shrug at the performance just held. Everyone was already beginning to gossip over the fight, this was the new chat topic of the week for everyone now.   
  
As the crowd started dying down the principal looked back over to Quatre and said, "Come on now, you will be the first to explain yourself."  
  
"Yes Ms. Une," Quatre said as he followed the principal to the office.  
  
********************************  
  
Relena started stirring in her sleep as she was suddenly started to regain consciousness, she didn't even realize that she had dozed off. Slowly opening her eyes she found herself in the school infirmary, lying down in one of the beds. Looking around the room she noticed Heero was sitting by her bed, "Heero?" She asked in question, coughing again in the pain of her stomach muscles were giving her.  
  
"Don't talk," Heero said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Your parents will be coming to pick you up soon, don't try moving too much, they will be taking you to the hospital when they arrive." As he stood from his seat Relena grabbed hold of his hand and asked, "Is Quatre alright? Please tell me he's alright." She started coughing again when she said this, making the pain in her stomach more unbearable then what it already was.  
  
"I told you not to talk," Heero said as he removed his hand from hers.  
  
"Is he alright!?" Relena said in a louder tone, causing her to upset her stomach even further. Tears were streaming down her face at the pain she was causing herself, making Heero sit beside her again. Lifting his hand to caress Relena's cheek to calm her down he said, "Relena, you have to relax or you're just going to make yourself feel even more pain then what you already are."  
  
Rising up from his seat once more he was about to walk off until he felt his jacket being tugged at. Turning his gaze to hers he noticed her eyes pleading with him to answer her earlier question or else she wasn't going to let go until he did. Not wanting her to hurt herself any further he sighed in defeat and nodded to her, "He was here earlier on to have his injuries check at. He is fine."  
  
Relena sighed in relief as she let go of his jacket, nodding her thanks to him she closed her eyes to try and get some rest. Watching her reaction to hearing that Quatre was alright, he wondered why she had such a soft spot for him. As much as he hated him he couldn't bring himself to punch him for what happened when he came into the infirmary, the conversation they had earlier made him question his beliefs on him.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Heero was sitting by Relena's bed, he had been asked to go to class several times since he had brought her in but he refused to leave her side until she regained consciousness. He was not letting her out of his sight with the condition she was in; he cursed himself for not going down to her earlier. From the corner of his eye he watched as Duo's parents help guide Duo out the front door of the infirmary to take him to the hospital. Mariemaia and Hilde followed them out as they watched Duo being put in the car. His parents didn't stay for very long; exchanging a few words to the two girls Duo's parents got into their car and was off in a shot. He could understand why though, with the look of Duo's condition, he might be away from school for a while. Hilde and Mariemaia reentered not too long after they left, as they started heading for the back door to get to class Quatre suddenly entered.  
  
"Is Duo gone?" Quatre asked as he looked at them both.  
  
"He just left for the hospital," Mariemaia answered.  
  
Hilde didn't say anything; instead she walked up to him and slapped Quatre across the face. She hit him where Duo punched him, causing him to flinch at the extra pain, "HOW COULD YOU HIT DUO LIKE THAT!? LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED; LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO HIM!"  
  
"Hilde! Wufei did that to him, not Quatre," Mariemaia said as she tried standing up for Quatre.  
  
Hilde didn't listen instead she turned her murderous gaze to Mariemaia and said, "Oh, so your on his side of it then!"  
  
"Hilde, I didn't say that, I'm just saying that-"  
  
She didn't even get time to finish before Hilde brushed past them both and stormed out the infirmary without looking back at them once.   
  
"I'm sorry Quatre, she's just angry but I'm sure you can understand why she's like that. Let's try sorting things out later when things cool down a bit. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding right?"  
  
Quatre nodded at her in response. Nodding back to him she rushed out the door to try and catch up to Hilde.   
  
Heero watched as Quatre walked up to the counter where the school nurse was working. The nurse looked over his injury and gave him an icepack to help sooth down his cheek. Accepting it he put it to his face and flinched a little at the coldness of it but kept it there knowing it will help reduce the swelling.  
  
Wanting to see if Relena was alright it didn't take him long to spot her on a bed in the far corner of the room, along with Heero sitting by her. Quatre knew that he had better stay away but as stubborn as he was he just had to see her; it was his fault that he didn't prevent her from coming near them.   
  
Slowly walking over to the bed he noticed Heero getting angrier and angrier with him but didn't flinch until Heero rose up from his seat. He was a couple of steps away from Relena's bed before Heero approached him, "I haven't had my crack at you yet, so you better leave now before I decide to kill you right here and now."  
  
"I'm so sorry Heero, I-I didn't mean for this to happen. It's all my fault, I saw her coming towards me but I couldn't bring myself to stop her, I was so shocked at how I had been behaving that-"  
  
"I don't need your excuses Winner! You're going to be sorry you ever set foot in this school! If you think that punch by Duo hurt, wait till you feel what I can do, I can hit you ten times harder than what Duo ever could."  
  
"I believe you when you say that, and I will gladly accept anything you throw at me Heero, it might knock some sense into me."  
  
Heero didn't say anything when he said that, Quatre's eyes were so filled with sadness, guilt and regret that he looked about ready to cry. Heero wanted so badly to just knock him out right here and now but looking at Quatre in such a pitiful state he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It wasn't all his fault after all, Duo was the one who hit her.  
  
He didn't move from where he stood and waited for Quatre to get the idea and walk off but he still stood there as if he were waiting for Heero to shrug it off and let him see Relena, that wasn't going to happen. "Do I have to spell it out to you!? Leave Quatre! You're the last person I feel like looking at, at the moment."  
  
"Heero, Relena is very important to you isn't she?"  
  
That wasn't a question Heero was expecting to hear, as much as it took him off guard he made sure not to let Quatre notice, he kept his narrowed gaze at him and remained silent.  
  
Quatre did notice the question surprise him, it was only there for a second but he noticed it. Heero was always watching over Relena when ever she was near but what Quatre couldn't understand was the fact that he hardly ever talked to her and didn't even sit with her in classes or anything. Heero never showed any emotion at school but until this accident, he couldn't believe the mix of emotions he saw in Heero's eyes at the look of Relena on the ground like she was when she was punched in the stomach.  
  
"This will be something I will always regret, she didn't deserve this. All because of me..."  
  
Heero watched as Quatre allowed a few tears to slide down his cheeks, brushing them away as quickly as they fell but they didn't seem to stop falling. Quatre knew that he must look like a total loser to Heero right now but he didn't care, he regretted what had happened and wasn't ashamed to show it.   
  
Heero didn't know how to react; he had never seen a guy be so open with his emotions before. Any guy would want to put on the macho act to never show a sign of weakness to anything, especially tears. Tears were something you hardly ever saw from a guy, and as much as Heero just wanted to laugh at him he felt pity for the boy, which was something he hardly felt for anyone. He remembered Quatre's face as he was calling out her name. Even when Heero grabbed him by the jacket he saw the sorrow in his eyes and somehow the pain that Quatre was feeling at that moment started flooding into him as well. Heero admired him in a way for having such a kind heart, as much as he hated the guy, he had to admit that at times, he wished he had the strength to show emotions so openly like that, he could feel, but he would hardly ever show it.  
  
Taking a few steps back, Heero slowly made his way back to his seat and watched for the boy's reaction. Expecting him to suddenly brighten and walk over to the bed to check over Relena he just looked at him and started heading for the door, much to Heero's surprise. Before the blonde exited he looked back over Relena's sleeping form then back up to Heero and said, "Please look after her Heero." And with that, he was gone.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Heero had no idea how to judge the boy anymore, when ever he thought he had him figured out he ends up doing things which Heero never could expect him doing, the way he kindly greeted him when he first met him and suddenly walking out the infirmary when Heero accepted to let him come closer to Relena. He was usually able to determine someone's objectives upon meeting them and he thought Quatre was just playing the innocent act just to become the envy of any guy and to draw girls to him like a magnet. Since he was Dorothy's brother he had to expect the worse from him, which he did, up till now. Maybe he won't punch him as hard as he promised, he at least deserved that, there was no way that he was going to shrug off what happened today without doing anything at all.  
  
Watching over her for a little longer he noticed that she was fast asleep now, so he figured that he better get back to class. Caressing her cheek softly as to not wake her he his expression softened a little as he started leaning closer to her. Looking over her features briefly he closed his eyes and gave her a peck on the cheek. Leaning his forehead against hers he silently begged, 'Relena, why can't you open up to me? Why do you persist on carrying this pain on your own? You know I will always be here for you, not the way we were, but that doesn't mean I don't care.'   
  
He wanted to say this to her but he couldn't bring himself to opening his mouth to say it. He had a feeling that she knew that anyway, but she continued to keep her distance from him. Opening up his eyes again the thought about why she stayed away suddenly hit him, it made perfect sense, there was no way she would stay away unless... Suddenly he heard the door to the infirmary open again. Looking over his shoulder, Heero noticed that it was Wufei.  
  
As Wufei entered he looked over to Heero and nodded his greeting to him. Heero did the same as he got up and made his way over to him.  
  
"How did it go?" Heero asked as he approached him.  
  
"I got suspended," Wufei answered as he walked up to the counter of the infirmary.  
  
"What about the others?"  
  
"Quatre and Duo got suspended as well while everyone else got detentions."  
  
"I see, shouldn't you be leaving then?"  
  
"I was told to treat my cuts before leaving."  
  
Heero watched as Wufei waited around the counter where the school nurse usually did her work but she didn't appear to be around at the moment. Heero noticed that the only injures Wufei acquired from the fight were a cut lip, a cut on his left eyebrow and a couple of little bruises around his face, hardly anything serious.   
  
"Heero..." Wufei suddenly said after a few moments of silence.  
  
Heero looked blankly at Wufei, waiting for him to continue. He had a feeling that he knew what Wufei was about to ask, with his voice being a lot softer than what it usually was when he said his name, it wouldn't take a psychic to figure out what he was going to ask.  
  
"...Is... Is Relena alright?"  
  
As expected Heero didn't decide to answer, instead he pointed over to the far side of the room and said, "Go have a look for your self."  
  
Wufei looked in the direction Heero pointed and noticed Relena sleeping on one of the beds. Nodding to him he slowly made his way over to her.  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow at him when he watched him sit by her; he could never understand what went through Wufei's mind. If anything he was surprised to even hear him ask if Relena was alright. Heero started getting second thoughts on leaving Relena alone now, could he really trust Wufei with her alone? Wufei did have his bad moments, most of the time he hardly gave a care about anyone or anything around him, as long as he was happy he didn't care. But as much as Wufei tried to hide it he did notice every now and then times when he showed some emotion to things, Heero was the same so he wasn't one to criticize, but the difference with Heero was that he wasn't afraid of his emotions.   
  
Opening the door he made his decision to leave Relena with him, but hoped that she will remain asleep while he was there, she was already physically hurt, she didn't need to be emotionally hurt either.  
  
When he heard the door close he gave out a sigh of relief knowing Heero was finally gone, it always put him on edge when ever he felt Heero watching him. He could understand why he was like that though; if he was in his position he would be doing the same. Watching Relena sleep he marveled at the way she looked so at peace with everything. At least while sleeping she could tune out from the world that has hurt her so badly and go to her own world where she could be happy. For a long time now he had never seen her smile, not once, ever since things started going bad for her. Brushing his fingers through the ends of her silky hair he breathed in her strawberry fragrance. He didn't feel so angry anymore knowing that she was alright, he was even more content knowing that Duo will be feeling more pain at the moment than what she was, he made sure of that.  
  
"Relena, I-I," Before Wufei could say anything more the school nurse finally made an entrance and noticed him as she walked into the room. Recognizing that it wasn't the same boy from before she said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, you must be another one of the boys who got into a fight earlier on today?"  
  
Wufei nodded and stood up from the chair.  
  
"Please come with me so I can treat your cuts," the nurse said as she walked to the other side of the room to get her things.  
  
Wufei looked over at Relena once more before walking up to the nurse patiently waiting for him.  
  
Relena moaned a little as she stirred in her sleep a little. As she touched her cheek, she flipped over to her side and breathed out someone's name. The name hung around the air before her, causing her to stir a little but then a tear suddenly escaped from her closed eye lids as it skimmed down her cheek and onto the pillow.   
  
********************************  
  
Author's Note: Oh no, what's going to happen between Quatre and Duo? What's up with Heero and Wufei?.... Hehe well I can't give any of that away ^_- But it will be revealed later on sometime. Reviews would be appreciated, not a necessity but it would help me improve. This is my first fanfic so the more feedback i get, the more i can improve in my writing. Anyway, thanks for reading ^_^  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	7. Chapter 7

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
It was Friday; Relena had stayed in bed for three days because of her stomach. She had a massive black/purple/blue coloured bruise on her belly now, and it still hurt but at least she was able to go out and about without feeling about ready to cry out in pain. The bell to end school had sounded already but she had to pick up her things before leaving. She had a lot of homework to catch up on because of her absence; like it wasn't hard enough trying to keep up with the current work. While she had been bed ridden, she had been doing a lot of thinking and had come to a decision about what she should do about Quatre. She hadn't been able to sleep properly at nights because of that fight. Things were bad enough for her as it is, she didn't want to drag anyone down with her.   
  
But as her mind was drifting on these thoughts she suddenly felt her shoulder being tapped on, turning around she noticed that it was Dorothy. Relena had her books in her hands as she turned to face Dorothy and when she recognized it was her Relena got so surprised that she dropped all her exercise books and text book on the ground. Dorothy looked at the ground to where all her things had been dropped and just looked back at her like she was the most stupidest person in the world.  
  
"Hello, Relena, a bit clumsy today aren't we?" Dorothy said smirking at her.  
  
Relena didn't say anything as she got down on her knees to pick up her books. She didn't want to sit herself down on the dirty floor but since their school uniform consisted of a short skirt, bending over or kneeling on the floor was a little hard to do without showing off anything.   
  
Dorothy watched as Relena began organizing all her books back up again, from exercise books, to text books, to loose sheets of paper. Looking at down at her watch she was starting to lose her patience with Relena, 'Geez, how long does she want to take picking up books?' She watched as Relena tried to put things back in their rightful order, causing Dorothy to tap her foot on the floor, 'If I wait around anymore I'm going to be late.' Swinging her bag over to her side she opened it up and reached for a stack of sheets which were put in her school folder.  
  
Relena couldn't believe how much she had to do. Just looking at all the loose sheets, she was going to agonize over what she had to do. It didn't help being dumb either, but like everything else, that was her fault.   
  
When she finally got everything back in their rightful order a shower of papers started falling around her. Looking up at Dorothy in question she noticed her putting her bag back on properly as she just said, "Deliver these to his majesty will you? He has been demanding these." And with that she started jogging away, leaving Relena looking over the sheets everywhere around her.  
  
Looking down at them as she gathered them all up she noticed that it had Quatre's name on them. 'Why did she give me these for? She would be able to give these to him easily.' Looking over his sheets she couldn't believe how much Quatre had missed out on already and it was only three days worth too. Well, she had to admit that she wasn't busy or anything, so it would only be right if she went to drop these off to him, maybe she could use this opportunity to apologize to him. She had been kicking herself over it ever since the fight.   
  
She felt terrible; Quatre had really good friends, true ones which liked him for who he was. And now, because of her, he has lost everything. She wanted to keep her distance from him for many reasons, and this was one of them. Even with Duo, he didn't deserve the treatment he went through either. He had good reasons to hate her, and it was partially her fault for the reason why he hated her anyway. Placing it in between one of her books so that they didn't get damaged she swung her bag over her shoulder, causing her to stumble back a little because of the heavy load.   
  
As she started making her way out the school grounds she started thinking things through with what she would say to Quatre when she approached him. With this all happening, the best thing she could do for Quatre would be to tell him to just leave her alone, he could still mend things up with Duo and the others and that's what she wanted. She would thank him for what he had done for her but as gently as she can, she will tell him to not talk to her anymore. 'This is for the best. This is for the best,' but as she thought this through her mind, she felt sharp pains in her chest. Putting her hand over her chest where her heart sat she started wondering what that was all about.  
  
********************************  
  
Relena was so thankful when she had finally reached Quatre's home, the heavy weight of her books and text books in her bag, plus Quatre's work was beginning to strain her back as she walked. Stopping at the end of the gate she lowered her bag to the ground and pressed the door bell. After a few moments the intercom which was attached to the gate with the door bell sounded, "Yes, who is it?"  
  
Recognizing the voice she figured that it was their butler, "Um, yes hello, my name is Relena Darlian. I just wanted to drop off some work for Quatre."  
  
"Ah, Relena, it has been a while since your last visit, please come in," Peter said as the front gate unlocked itself.  
  
Picking up her bag again, Relena walked up to the large gates and walked through them, closing the gate behind her when she was inside. During the time when she was on talking grounds with Dorothy she had only visited this place a couple of times ever since she started at their school. She could remember Dorothy hardly ever liked people coming to her home, for some strange reason. If Relena had a home like this she would love to show it off to everyone she knew. 'No, what am I thinking? I DID have a home like this, and as nice as it was, it wasn't like that on the inside.' As she walked up the steps to the front door she saw Peter standing there waiting for her. 'Maybe that's why she doesn't like people coming, there might be issues going on inside her home that she doesn't want people knowing about.'  
  
"Good afternoon Relena how was school?" Peter asked her kindly as he closed the door behind her.  
  
"Um, it's been... ok I guess," she answered. There was no way she was going to tell anyone about what had been happening this week. But she would have thought that he would have known because of Quatre. Being sent home, being punched in the face, how did he get away with that without any questions asked?  
  
Peter was no fool though, he could see just by looking at Quatre when he returned home was that he had gotten into a fight. If the mark on his face wasn't a big enough hint, getting a phone call from the principal plus having him sent home early did basically speak for itself. He had no idea on what it was about though, it was not his place to ask of such things and Quatre had not said anything about it so he wasn't about to pry into his private affairs.  
  
"That's good, well, shall I escort you to Mr. Quatre than?" Peter asked as he started walking away from Relena.  
  
"Um I don't want to disturb him or anything; I just wanted to drop off his work that's all." Relena had no idea why she was saying what she was. Didn't she want to apologize? Didn't she have to set things straight with him? She was starting to get second thoughts about it now. She really didn't want to cut things off between them; ever since she had met him he had always been so good to her. Deep down she hoped to become good friends with Quatre. Since he didn't judge her by what others thought of her, she felt scared at one stage because she never knew of people as kind as him. She didn't feel worthy of being friends with him but at the same time she liked the attention.  
  
"I'm sure Mr. Quatre would like it best if you talked to him personally, he could do with a friendly face," Peter said as he started heading off once more.   
  
Relena watched as Peter started heading off without her. Could she really say what she thinks is best for Quatre? On many other occasions he had always been able to change her mind on things, as if he knew that she wasn't being honest with him. 'No, after what has happened, I'm sure Quatre would feel the same. I bet he would regret the day he met me.' Sighing to herself she slowly started following after Peter.  
  
As he headed down one of the hallways of the Winner mansion, Peter stopped beside a door where Quatre was. As she was still making her way over to him he stood close to the door and got out his keys. Picking out the right one he unlocked the door with a little click and quietly opened it. When Relena finally made it up to him he smiled at her and opened the door wider for her, "Mr. Quatre is in here Relena, please go inside."  
  
Looking at him in hesitation he smiled and nodded his head to her, insisting on her to go in. When she finally walked into the room, Peter quietly closed the door behind her and widely grinned to himself.   
  
At that moment one of the maids was making her cleaning rounds down that area, before she walked past the hallway Peter called out to her, "Clare, could you come here for a moment please?"  
  
Looking over at him she smiled and made her way over to him, "Yes? Is there a problem?"  
  
"Oh no, nothing major, I was just wondering if you could go get something to serve Quatre and his guest."  
  
"Certainly," and with that, she started making her way to the kitchen.  
  
Peter just grinned at her and looked back at the door again, he was trying his hardest not to laugh, 'Mr. Quatre is going to be surprised.' Whistling to himself as he started walking away from the door he was beginning to wonder if forcing her in there was such a good idea, Quatre might not like the idea of someone waltzing in there without asking for permission first, 'No, Quatre is a gentleman, she will be alright.'  
  
Relena felt about ready to run out when she heard the door close behind her, her heart was racing for some strange reason. 'Am I really that terrified about facing him?'   
  
As she started looking around she noticed it to be some sort of recreation room. There was a pool table, a little bar at the corner of the room, dart board, a pinball machine, a big wide screen television set with large surround sound speakers, a large stereo, a DVD player, basically everything she would expect such a rich family to have, it wouldn't surprise her if they had cable as well. 'Hm, the only thing it needs now is a gym,' she thought sarcastically to herself.   
  
As she walked more into the room she noticed another doorway leading out to another room. As she waltzed her way into the room as though it were her own she suddenly regretted not calling out for Quatre like she should have. Staring at him wide eyed she noticed that he was doing a bit of bench pressing in what looked to be a gym. She was wondering where that would be, a mansion just wouldn't be complete without one, but she wasn't expecting to find it like this. She wanted to signal to him that she was here but she seemed to have lot her voice, 'That would be right.'   
  
Staring at him she watched as he lifted the weights up and down, causing the muscles in his arms and chest to flex as he did so. He seemed to be doing it with such ease but looking at his expression showed how much he was focusing on the weights and looked to be tiring out. By looking at the sweat which was running down his forehead and down his chest, she figured that must have been in here for a while. Looking from his face to his torso she couldn't believe how much muscle he had. She had to admit that he wasn't as built up like Heero, Trowa or Wufei but she had to admit that he wasn't too far off from it. With him running a company she never suspected that he was some fitness freak as well, how could he make the time for such things? Where did he get the energy to do all of that?   
  
She had no idea how long she had been watching him; she couldn't help but feel drawn to him at the moment. Watching him in such a state, she was starting to get the urge to just go over there and wipe him clean of his sweat, to bring her hands up and feel the strength of his arms and chest within her own grasp, 'Relena snap out of it! Do you realize what you are thinking!?' She wanted to turn around and leave before he caught her but the effort involved in doing so was a little too hard to do at the moment, not that she was even trying.   
  
As she paid close attention to his body movements she noticed him push the weights up once more before putting them back on the rack behind him. After doing so he let his arms dangle to the ground as he breathed in and out deep breaths of exhaustion. Taking note of every movement he was making she watched as his chest slowly rose up and down with the breaths he was taking in. He still hadn't noticed her yet, much to Relena's relief. Since he was finished she figured that she had better tell him that she was here now, but that was another failed attempt.   
  
Getting him self into sitting position he stretched his arms up over his head for a few moments before turning his back to her. Leaning over to reach for his bottle of water Relena found a new fascination over his back. She went wide eyed when she got the chance to see how defined his back was. Ofcourse it wasn't half as good as his front but it was still a great view to look at, 'RELENA! What are you doing! He's going to kill you when he finds you there! TURN AWAY NOW!'   
  
Brushing off that nagging voice in her head she figured that maybe she had better listen to her logic and leave while his back was turned. But what he did next totally threw that idea out of her head. She watched as Quatre leaned his head back a bit to take a sip of water but then started pouring water over his face, causing long streaks of water to run down his face and down his sweaty back, making him look all the more irresistible. 'Geez it's getting hot in here,' Relena thought as she started fanning her face with her hands, she could feel her cheeks burning.  
  
Since she was so focused on marveling over Quatre she was suddenly interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. Jumping at the sound of it, she turned her gaze over to the door, wondering if maybe she should answer it. But then the overwhelming shock came over her when she realized that she wasn't the only one here, 'Oh no.' Did she dare turn back around to see Quatre? Slowly turning her head back to Quatre she noticed that he indeed heard the door knock but his attention was fully on her.  
  
"M-Miss Relena!" Quatre staggered to say as he quickly he went back to his bench press to pick up the dark blue tank top he had taken off earlier and quickly slipped it on. Blushing at the embarrassment of being caught in such a state he mumbled, "I-I wasn't expecting any company."  
  
Relena couldn't help but blush herself, she felt so guilty now, "Oh, Quatre I'm so sorry I-"   
  
Before she could finish, the person, which was at the door decided to welcome them selves in since no one was making the effort to answer it. Poking her head into the room Clare got the attention of both Quatre and Relena looking at her, although their faces were shaded in deep shades of red. 'Now I see why Peter was grinning so much when he called me over.' Smiling sheepishly at them she said, "Um, sorry to disturb you Mr. Quatre but I brought you the food you asked for." Placing the tray of tea and biscuits she was holding onto the table by the television, she added, "Sorry that it took so long," Bowing to them, she excused herself and almost cracked up laughing as she closed the door behind her.  
  
When she left, Quatre just looked at the door quizzically then turned his gaze to the food Clare brought in, 'I don't remember asking for food.' Shrugging it off, he figured that having a bit of food wouldn't do him any harm. Turning his gaze back to Relena he felt his cheeks redden again, "Um, would you like something to eat? There seems to be enough for two."  
  
Relena couldn't look at him, her cheeks were still burning furiously over the incident of watching him work out, and looking at him wasn't going to help calm her down. "Oh no, I just came here to drop off these for you," Relena quickly said as she opened up her bag to get Quatre's school work out.   
  
Rummaging through her things she started to panic when it was getting to the stage where she forgot where she put his things. Blushing even more at her stupidity she dropped the bag to the ground and started to go through it more thoroughly.   
  
Quatre patiently waited for what ever it was she was trying to get, but what puzzled him was how she actually got in here. He thought that he closed the door after him as he came into the room, and now he can't even recall asking for tea. 'I think the exercise is starting to have a bad effect on your memory Quatre.'  
  
'Where in the hell is it!?' Relena screamed in her head, it was bad enough that she was caught drooling over Quatre, the last thing she needs right now is to lose his work. She started throwing her books out of her bag now, knowing her; it's probably all at the bottom of the bag.   
  
As she looked through it Quatre looked down at her books in curiosity. Picking up her exercise books he started skimming through her work, he had wanted to look at how she had been doing at school. Looking at the marks she had received from the teacher he was ashamed to admit that Duo was right, Relena was struggling with everything. He didn't look over them for very long since Relena might not like the idea of him looking through her things but looking down at her she looked about ready to go on a killing spree for what ever she had just lost.   
  
Looking through her books once more he noticed a stack of papers in-between a black note book. Opening it up he noticed his name written on them, he wasn't dumb so he figured that these were what she had been looking for. But as he removed the sheets from the book he went into shock with what the contents of the book actually held. One page had some sort of poem in it, which was all about death, wanting to be released from pain, feeling better by making one self bleed.   
  
He only skimmed through a few lines but couldn't bear to read anymore. If that wasn't bad enough he looked at the page beside it, causing his mouth to hang wide open. The figure in the centre looked to be female but her head was held low so you couldn't see their face and her long hair covered her as well. Above her looked to be some sort of ghost, it looked to be making its way out of her body and was hanging above her but looked to be scaring her, it was smiling wickedly at her. There was a spot light over her with a black back ground and she had swords and spears shoved through her as though they were thrown at her. Blood was running down her bare body and trailed down to the ground where it surrounded her. Looking closely at the black background Quatre noticed there to be several pictures of people drawn within it. They looked to be laughing at her pain. Their clapping hands looked to be as if they were at the circus, cheering on some sort of magic show, when really, it wasn't. A few people had spears in their hands as well, looking about ready to strike her with them.   
  
He had to admit that the drawing was very well drawn, what he wouldn't give to produce art like this but, it was so depressing. Looking briefly over Relena he had a feeling that the girl in her drawing was indeed her, the way she pictures herself and everything around her. But what made her want to wish for death? The picture seemed to relate to the poem but by the looks of it too. The more he seemed to learn about Relena, the more things kept getting more and more confusing, yet it made him even more worried over her.  
  
"Maybe I put it in one of my text books," Relena said out loud as she started going through them. When she spoke up it caused Quatre to jump a little, expecting her to see that he was going through her book. He dared not go any further then what he just saw; it was enough to make him cry, not to mention sick.   
  
Putting the book underneath all the others he quickly put his papers in-between her business studies book.   
  
"Oh, your business studies book looks to be pretty big Miss Relena, have you been doing extra work?" Quatre asked, playing along with his act as he kneeled down beside her.  
  
Looking at him in question, Quatre passed the book to her. As she opened it up, Quatre took this opportunity to put the other books down with her text books just to not make her paranoid over the fact that he held such a personal book within his grasp.  
  
"Ah, Quatre, this is what I had to give you," Relena said as she removed his work sheets. As she passed them to him she added, "I heard you had been wanting these, I hope they are all there."  
  
Accepting them from her he looked over them briefly and said, "I thank you for these Miss Relena, but I don't remember asking for them though."  
  
"Huh? Didn't you ask Dorothy to get them for you?"  
  
Jerking his head up at her he gasped, "Ask Dorothy!? She would skin me alive if I asked her for such a favour. If there is anything I usually need it's really up to me to get it myself, I couldn't ask people to do such things for me."  
  
Looking over at him with a blank expression over her face he smiled at her and said, "Well shall we have something to eat now? The tea will be getting cold soon."  
  
"But, I-"  
  
"Please Miss Relena; I want you to stay for a while for a while."   
  
As he got up from the ground, Relena watched him but wasn't expecting to suddenly have him offer his hand to her. Looking at it briefly before looking up at him again he added, "You went through all the trouble of giving me my school work, so let this be my way of saying thank you." She wanted to protest saying that it was Dorothy who got all his work but decided against it, she would just be wasting her breath anyway since he didn't believe her story.  
  
As Relena put her hand within his she suddenly felt a jolt of electricity run down her spine by his touch. 'Where did that come from?' Even as he helped off the ground she started picturing him the way she saw him while he worked out, flexing his muscles and that water running down him. Blushing again she cursed herself for letting such memories flood into her mind again.  
  
"Are you alright Miss Relena?" Quatre asked her, a bit concerned over the fact that her face was all red, "Have you got a fever or something?"  
  
Snapping out of her thoughts she looked at him briefly but noticed that she still had her hand within his. Flushing even more she quickly pulled her hand away from his and nodded saying, "I'm fine thank you."  
  
He wasn't convinced but decided to drop it since she seemed to look reasonably uncomfortable at the moment. She wasn't the only one, he couldn't believe how careless he was for not locking the door behind him and what was even worse was that he just had to take off his top too. It was not a usual thing for him to let people see him half naked like that, 'That was what the tank top was for you fool, your suppose to wear it while you work out.'   
  
Wanting to settle his nerves over that little incident he decided to go serve them both some tea. Trying to remain as calm as he could he sat himself down on the couch and got each of them cups. Relena sat on the other side from where Quatre was and forced herself not to look at him, although she couldn't help but watch him from the corner of her eye.   
  
As he finished pouring Relena some tea, he carefully put it on a saucer and passed it to her. She accepted it from him and nodded her thanks as she quickly took a mouth full of it, 'Maybe this will settle my nerves.' But what didn't occur to her at that moment that tea was usually served in hot water, so since she took a mouth full of liquid the heat from it was beginning to burn in her mouth like acid. She couldn't help but suddenly choke at how hot it was, causing her cough up a bit and allow half of it to spray out from her mouth. Gulping the rest of it down she quickly put her free hand over her mouth to cover up all the tea which went all over her mouth before Quatre could see.   
  
He had just finsihed pouring himself some tea before he heard her cough. Turning to her he noticed her with her hand over her mouth. Getting a little worried he asked, "Are you alright Miss Relena? Is there something wrong with the tea?"  
  
'Could you make yourself look anymore stupider than what you already are,' Relena cursed to her self. If things weren't bad enough she just had to be careless and make a mess of herself.  
  
Shaking her head in response she noticed that he was still staring at her. She had a feeling that he was staring at her hand by her mouth, but how could she pull it away without showing Quatre how much of a grot she is.   
  
Walking over behind the bar, Quatre figured that maybe she needed some tissues or something. Passing them to her when he returned to the couch she mumbled, "Um, thank you," as she took them from him, wiping her mouth of the liquid al over her. Quatre just smiled and decided to sit beside her, causing Relena to watch every move he made in the process.   
  
There was nothing but silence between them after that, Quatre offered her biscuits every once in a while but didn't exchange any words to her. Both of them had no idea what to say to each other. Both of them had a lot going in their minds but the silence between them was getting really awkward as well.   
  
'I guess I better say what I came to do,' Relena thought. Sighing to herself, she decided that she better be out with it, she had been stalling long enough. But as she said his name she was surprised to hear him say her name at the same time. Looking at each other Quatre said, "I'm sorry, you go first."  
  
"Oh no, it wasn't anything important. What were you going to say?"  
  
"Um, I had wanted to say this to you since Tuesday. I um, need to apologize to you about me stalking out of your house like I did."  
  
Relena was stunned when he said that, she had wanted to talk about that as well, not to mention talk about the fight as well. Keeping silent she patiently waited for him to continue.   
  
Looking down at the contents of his cup, Quatre started again, "I really do want to help you Miss Relena, and I wanted to keep my word to you. But I couldn't bring myself to lie to your mother about it. I-I told her the truth by saying that I wanted to tutor you. She seemed pleased about it but, I couldn't help but feel that I betrayed you at the same time."   
  
Turning his gaze to hers he sadly said, "It was rude of me to just leave like that. I wanted to apologize to you at school, I was so angry with myself and it didn't help by seeing Duo treating you in such a matter either. Especially when he was accusing you of things which weren't true, I reacted in such a harsh way to it. Duo was just concerned about me, so what do I do, I punch him for it." Lowering his head to the ground in shame he softly said, "I've made such a mess of everything."  
  
"No Quatre, it was wrong of me to ask you to lie to my mother. In a way I'm glad you didn't lie, such things shouldn't be kept secret. She had a right to know, as much as I wouldn't have wanted her to. And you can still mend things up with Duo, I'm sure that once you apologize to him he will forgive you," lowering her gaze from him she added, "As long as you don't associate with me anymore, your friendship will always be strong."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened at her statement and looked back at her again, "Miss Relena, don't you like me talking to you?"  
  
Jerking her head to him she said, "What! No I don't mean it like that. I really appreciate the way you always talk to me; it's just that, with the history between me and Duo..." Realising what she was about to say she turned her gaze away from his, she said too much.   
  
Quatre kept watching her in curiosity about that remark until he noticed her standing up from the couch.   
  
Turning her back on him she continued, "Please understand that Duo has reasons for hating me. That's why, for your friendship, you shouldn't talk to me anymore. I can't stand by and watch you be brought down to my level any longer. For your benefit Quatre, just, keep your distance from me." There, she said what she came to say; now it was a matter of walking out and leaving it at that. Putting everything back in her bag she lifted it to her shoulder with some difficulty and started heading for the door. She had no right to stay any longer, she couldn't even bring herself look at Quatre since she knew that if she did she would want to take back what she said.   
  
As she reached the door she turned the handle and only got the door open by only a few inches before it was suddenly slammed closed.   
  
Quatre was by her side and had his hand on the door so she couldn't leave. Waiting for her to react in some way, all she did was keep her eyes on the door handle.  
  
"Miss Relena..." Quatre said as he put his hand over hers, trying to get her to listen to him.  
  
The touch of his hand over hers started making her heart beat rapidly. Not wanting him to get to her she closed her eyes and said, "Quatre, it's for the best. I don't want you to suddenly be hated by everyone."  
  
He couldn't help but smile sadly at that remark, 'Your worried about me.' Removing her hand from the door knob he turned her to face him, she still had her head down low and eyes remained closed as she faced him. Still having hold of her hand in his left he used his right to tilt her head up to his so he could get a clear look at her face, "Miss Relena, look at me."  
  
No, was her first reaction, she could tell what he was about to do. Once she opened her eyes he would some how read her thoughts and tell her that she was wrong and that he didn't see anything wrong with her blah blah blah. She was not going to fool for it this time; she had to do this for his benefit. Couldn't he see that? 'Why does he have to be so nice?'  
  
Relena stood her ground, she did not move nor did she open her eyes. She could tell that he was waiting for her to listen to him but maybe if she stayed like this he would give up and let her go. As she waited for that moment to come she suddenly felt her self pressed against him. Flashing her eyes open she found herself within Quatre's embrace, causing her heart to skip a beat in the process.   
  
Leaning his head down to her ear he whispered, "I appreciate you being so worried about my popularity status at school, but really, it doesn't concern me if whether I'm either liked or hated by the whole school."  
  
His hot breath against her ear sent shivers down her spine, 'What ever you do don't look in his eyes, don't look in his eyes,' she chanted to herself. Bringing his head back up to face hers again he brought both of his hands up to her cheeks and bought her head up to look at him. "Popularity means nothing to me, what matters to me is my friends." She couldn't help but blush at him words and found herself being drawn into his blue/green eyes, 'Oh no. Not again.'  
  
"Nothing matters to me but the people I care about. Do you really want me to leave you alone?" He asked as he searched her eyes for her reaction to that.   
  
'Yes, I do. I want you to stop being near me,' she said in her mind but answered, "No," causing tears to swell up in her eye lids.  
  
"I know I haven't been a very good friend to you lately but I really want to make it up to you. Can I still help you with your studies?"  
  
Slowly nodding her head she answered, "Yes." There she goes again, contradicting herself. She really, really needed to find out how he could do this to her.  
  
Quatre smiled in relief as he lowered his hands from her cheeks, after seeing that picture in her book he couldn't afford to leave her out of his sights. He was scared for her safety, with the way she was so negative about things he couldn't afford to leave her in such a way. Quatre couldn't get that image from her book out of his head; he didn't want her thinking in such a way. It was so depressing yet so scary. He cared too much to allow such a thing to happen, if it did he would never forgive himself. But her answers to him just now, even though there was truth in them, she sounded as though she as only saying what he wanted to hear.  
  
"Can we start tomorrow? I'm sure your parents must be wondering where you are. With the amount of books in your bag, we might have a fair bit that we have to go through so shall we start at eleven?"  
  
Nodding to him in response she turned and went for the door again. She felt so ashamed of herself, why did she have to be so weak!? She can't say no to Quatre, it's a proven fact. He had Duo and the others to stand by him though, they were true friends. She couldn't consider herself his friend and it made her wonder why he would give up all his friends just for her. She was so pitiful, using him for her own benefit and yet she isn't doing anything to stop it.  
  
When she opened the door again she suddenly heard him say, "Let me take you home."  
  
"No, I will walk. But thank you anyway."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he replied back, much to Relena's surprise.   
  
"You will break you back with the amount of books you have in that bag." He had noticed the way she seemed to struggle with it on her back and thinking about the distance she would have walked to get to his house, he couldn't make her go through that process all over again.   
  
Taking the bag from her he swung it over his shoulder and winked at her, "Shall we go then?" Before she could say a word he was already out the door. There, it happened again, he got his own way again. But she had to admit that she didn't want to lug that bag of hers home like that but she didn't want him to go out of his way for her either. Not being able to do anything about it since he had her bag, she quickly headed out to follow him.  
  
Dorothy was just by the gates of their mansion before she noticed Quatre's car heading out, not caring about where he would be off to or anything she drove within the gates and parked her car in the drive way. Reaching over for her bag which was on the front passenger seat she dragged out with her and closed the door, locking it up as she headed to the front door. Peter was by the door when she approached and said, "Oh, your friend Relena was here just now. You just missed her."  
  
Shrugging it off she walked past him and started heading up the stairs to her room, she knew that Relena would have stopped by. Opening her bedroom door she threw her bag onto the ground and threw herself onto her bed. As she laid there, doing nothing in particular she started thinking about Relena's visit. She figured that might have been the reason why Quatre was leaving, to drop her off home. 'You better have sorted things out while you were here.' Looking over at her clock she noticed that she would have to get ready for fencing practice soon, 'Dammit, I'm too tired for that today.' Laying there for a few more moments she battled with herself on whether or not she should go, but being as dedicated as she was she got off the bed and headed to her wardrobe to get her fencing outfit out.  
  
As Quatre pulled up to Relena's house he parked the car and brought his hands off the steering wheel. Relena looked over at him in question but he kept his focus facing forward. Not knowing what to do she assumed that this was her queue to leave, opening the car door she suddenly heard him say, "Don't have any regrets about my decision Miss Relena, it was my decision to make and I don't want you blaming yourself over it."  
  
Looking back over at him she wondered if whether or not she heard him right. He turned his gaze to hers when he noticed her looking at him, "I don't have any regrets so you shouldn't either."  
  
Relena had no idea how she was to react; did she just hear that right? How did he seem to know how she was feeling? This was getting to be too much for her, thinking that she had gone through enough of this weirdness for one day she got out of the car and swung her bag over her back. Walking back to the house she heard Quatre beep at her a couple of times, turning her gaze to him he waved to her before leaving her street. Sighing to herself she had no idea how long she could keep this up, if only Quatre knew about her past then he wouldn't be so nice to her. 'Once he finds out though…' She couldn't even determine what might actually happen; with Quatre you couldn't determine such things. But she knew that the longer she put it off the deeper this will affect both him and her.  
  
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As Relena entered her accounting class she looked around and noticed Duo wasn't back yet, she figured that he could still be suspended but she was a bit worried over the injuries he went through. Quatre had a bit of a bruise on his cheek when she saw him on Friday but over the weekend it was beginning to become very faint, she wouldn't be surprised if it was completely gone by now. Sitting in the front row of the classroom things started cooling down about the fight last week, much to her relief. But once Wufei and Duo come back from their suspension things will probably start up all over again.  
  
Quatre entered the classroom at that moment and noticed Relena sitting at the front again. He smiled and started heading over to her but didn't get far when Sylvia suddenly dashed towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"Hi Quatre! I missed you, I'm so glad that your ok," bringing her hands down to the top of his shoulders she gave him one of her brightest smiles and said, "You know, since Duo and you are in a fight and everything, that would mean you have no one to sit with today huh? He is still suspended after all so come sit with over here with me."  
  
Smiling at her he brought his hands up to hers and pulled them off his shoulders saying, "Thank you for the offer but I won't be sitting alone."  
  
Sylvia looked about the room and noted that Hilde, Mariemaia, Alex or Mueller weren't in the class so who could he possible sit with which was better company then her? Walking past her he walked up behind Relena and tapped her on the shoulder. Turning her gaze to meet Quatre's he smiled at her and asked, "May I sit with you?"  
  
Not saying anything to him she thought that maybe Quatre would get the picture, instead he seated himself beside her anyway, much to her dismay.  
  
Sylvia stared wide eyed at Quatre and fully glared at Relena. Stomping off to sit next to Dorothy she roughly sat in her seat and continued to glare at Relena, "How dare he pick her over me! What's so good about her anyway? She doesn't even talk to him so why would he care about her!?"  
  
Dorothy kept silent, the last thing she really wanted to hear at the moment were her sulks over her brother.  
  
"Ah I know, since Quatre is such a nice guy, I bet he was beginning to feel sorry for her huh? Since she sits alone and everything," looking over to Dorothy she noticed that Dorothy wasn't even paying attention to her. Tugging at her school jacket she continued, "I'm right aren't I? Your brother is just being considerate huh?"  
  
"Like I really care, now let go off my jacket," Dorothy said as she tugged her arm away from her.  
  
"Geez, you're in a fowl mood already, well I know I'm right, after all I am far more beautiful than what she is."  
  
What Dorothy wouldn't give to have a gun or something handy at the moment. Sylvia had a tendency to babble on about anything and nothing just for the attention. And what was worse was that neither Meiran nor Midii where around to listen to her so Dorothy was the one who had to go through this torture. At least with Wufei, he would tell her out straight if she was bothering him or not. What Dorothy wouldn't give to be able to do that. Sylvia was like the ring leader to their group so what ever she says goes. 'This is going to be a LONG accounting lesson,' Dorothy sighed to herself.  
  
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After the short break it was time for business studies. Trowa was on his way to class and noticed Quatre heading in the same direction as him. Quatre caught sight of him and smiled, "Hi Trowa, how are you?"  
  
"Fine," Trowa answered as he kept walking to class, not once acknowledging that Quatre was beside him.  
  
"How is Wufei? Have you spoken to him?" Quatre asked as he kept walking beside him.  
  
Trowa wasn't expecting a question like that, keeping his gaze forward he answered, "I haven't heard from him."  
  
"Oh ok," Quatre sadly said back, "I'm really sorry about getting all of you involved in that. I know that it doesn't make a difference now, but I promise to not do something like that again. Things can be sorted out without resorting to violence."  
  
Trowa looked over at him with confusion, both he, Wufei and Heero got involved on their own free will. The fight was between Duo and Quatre so why was he apologizing? Although, he was not expecting Quatre to be one to start fights like that. He had taken notice of him when ever he was around and thought of him being a pretty nice and honest person, even though they never talked since they were in different groups, he just got that impression of him.  
  
Relena was at her locker at this time, trying to get her business studies work so she could get to class. Getting what she needed she locked the door to her locker and turned to leave for class but bumped into someone.  
  
"Sorry I-" Looking up at the person who she bumped into she noticed that it was Heero, "Oh Heero, it's you."  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow and thought, 'Yeah nice to see you too.'  
  
Walking past him she began walking to business studies. He remained by her side since they were both in the same class. Watching her from the corner of his eye he couldn't help but sadden at the fact that she wasn't the Relena he knew. She use to be so happy and cheerful, but now she acted as though she were like an emotionless robot, just living through the motions and nothing more. He would have thought that his efforts of helping her might bring her back to normal again, obviously it didn't seem to be working though.  
  
As they entered the classroom Relena noticed Quatre was sitting in a seat beside hers. She sighed in frustration over the fact that he just won't leave her alone now. She had to admit though; the tutoring they went through over the weekend really helped her out. She didn't think it could get done but in a way, it didn't take as long as she thought it would. He went through things with her thoroughly and slowly so that she would understand and even if she didn't the first time he would go through it with her again. He was so patient with her and to her surprise she actually understood his teachings and was picking things up quicker then expected, which she didn't think was possible for her lack of learning.  
  
Going over to her seat Quatre greeted her as she sat down beside him. Heero on the other hand did not like having Quatre sitting by her and was about to go up to him until he was stopped by Trowa.  
  
"Leave them alone Heero," Trowa said as he motioned Heero over to their seats to the back.  
  
It was difficult but he did eventually get Heero to sit down, but even then he still looked about ready to kill someone, not needing three guesses to find out who.  
  
"He wasn't the one who hurt her Heero, why do hold such a grudge against him?"  
  
"He means to hurt her again, can't you see it? This is just all a cover up; in the end she is going to get hurt. I don't want that to happen."  
  
"So you persist on isolating her from everyone so that she won't be hurt again. Tell me something Heero, did your method work?"  
  
Heero didn't answer; Trowa had a point there but still stood by his beliefs. Crossing his arms over his chest he replied, "It's for her own safety."  
  
Trowa just shook his head at his reply, 'Admit that you're just jealous Heero. You can't keep her by your side forever.' He knew better then to say that though, knowing Heero, he would pound him for such a remark. Not that Trowa couldn't stand up to him but he wasn't about to get into a senseless fight about it. If Heero wanted to keep believing that Relena was best being alone then fine, it had nothing to do with him. But like him, he is standing by his beliefs as well, believing that Quatre may just be what Relena needs to rekindle her spirit again.  
  
********************************  
  
"Hey Mueller, what do you think I should get, hot chips or a hot dog?" Mariemaia asked as she kept glancing at her objects of desire.  
  
"Why don't you try going for a healthy option for once and get a sandwich," he replied back to her.  
  
"Nooo, I want something hot."  
  
"Then get a toasted sandwich then."  
  
"Ha ha, you're so funny," she sarcastically said. Pausing for a moment she suddenly announced, "I think I will get chips."  
  
"You know, I was being serious when I said that." She didn't seem to hear him though.  
  
When she paid for her food she just smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his.   
  
"You're going to get fat if you keep eating so much oily foods all the time," he said as they headed to their seats.  
  
"But it tastes better."  
  
Mueller just smiled and shook his head at her, 'She will never change.'   
  
While making their way to their usual table Mariemaia caught sight of Quatre with Relena walking in. She watched them with curiosity as she sat herself down. Mueller just looked at her with confusion and asked, "What's with you?" Looking about the cafeteria quickly she noticed that Hilde wasn't here yet so she decided to use this opportunity to talk to Quatre. Rising up from the table she said, "I need to go speak to Quatre before Hilde gets here, keep a look out ok?"  
  
Mueller just raised an eye brow at her and said, "She's not going to be happy if she catches you."  
  
"I don't care, Quatre is still our friend," With that said she quickly made her way over to where Quatre and Relena were sitting.  
  
As she walked up to their table she waved at them and said, "Hi there, mind if I sit down for a bit?"  
  
When Quatre looked up to see her he gave her a bright smile and said, "Ah, Miss Mariemaia, it's good to see you again, please make yourself comfortable."  
  
Sitting opposite from them she said, "I can't stay long but I couldn't help myself, I just had to talk to you again. I miss having you around Quatre."  
  
"Haha, you don't know how happy that makes me feel. But um, is Duo alright?"  
  
Turning serious by his question she sadly said, "Unfortunately not. He won't be back for a while since Wufei broke his nose."  
  
Both Quatre's and Relena's eyes widened at that, "Oh god, nothing else was broke right?" Quatre asked.  
  
"No, that was it, but he still has a few wounds and bruises from the fight. He's not looking too good at the moment, plus he is so moody. You would think he had his monthlies or something."  
  
Her joke wasn't found amusing by Quatre and Relena, although she wasn't expecting them to find it funny. After all, there was truth in her statement, he had been very moody.  
  
"It's my fault, this is all my fault," Quatre sadly said as he lowered his gaze to his food.  
  
"No it's my fault, this all began with me," Relena replied.  
  
Mariemaia looked at the both of them and shook her head, "Don't keep kicking yourselves over it. What's happened has happened; it was an accident after all. But I think you should try talking to him though Quatre, he might feel better if you do."  
  
"Yes I think I better, I was hoping that I would see him tomorrow but if he's in this sort of condition then I better go see him after school. I need to sort things out with him."  
  
"He won't forgive you, unless you stop talking to me," Relena added.  
  
"Please don't blame yourself over this Miss Relena. I'm sure that if I explain myself to him, maybe he will understand. If he doesn't then I guess our friendship meant nothing in the end. But if he cherishes our friendship just as much as I do then I'm sure we can work something out."  
  
Suddenly Mariemaia felt something hot hit across her cheek, "Ow, what was that?" Looking down at the ground she noticed that it was a chip that went soaring towards her. Scanning the cafeteria for the culprit she noticed Mueller waving to her. She was about to get furious at him for that but when she saw him point over towards the doors she noticed Hilde and Alex had just entered.  
  
"Oh, I better be going now Quatre, Hilde is here. Please sort things out with him when you can, I don't want to stop talking to you because of it," and with that she got up and sneaked her way back to their table.  
  
When she had left Quatre started wondering how he should sort things out with Duo. He had no idea what to say, only to state his reasons for being so angry and tell him that it was an accident. He remembered Relena saying that he had his reasons for hating her, but what were they? Maybe if he told him the reason then maybe Quatre could get a better understanding on why he's like that towards her. For their friendship to be mended again, he would have to.   
  
Relena was starting to get worried about the whole thing. The fight started with her asking Quatre to lie to her mother and now look at what it has caused. She knows that once Quatre talks to Duo then her friendship with him will have to be terminated. Quatre can't and won't pick her over five of his really close friends, he can't have both and by simple logic, she could guess who he would sacrifice.  
  
********************************  
  
Author's Note: Hehehe, how was this? I admit that Quatre and Relena haven't had any relationship developments yet so I think i need to focus on that now. I tried giving them some cute moments between one another but im not sure if it worked or not :-'( Hehehe what about Quatre doing bench presses ^_^ What i wouldn't give to be in Relena's position hehe, anyway please be sure to review. Bye for now.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	8. Chapter 8

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Taking a step out of his car, Duo scanned the surroundings of the car park. It had been a while since he came back here, he wasn't expecting it to have suddenly gone over massive changes but he somehow felt like a total stranger. Going about the normal routine of what he usually did in the mornings before school, he would head to the courtyard and basically hang out with the group before they would have to go to class. Now that his injuries had healed over, allowing him self to finally be able to move around with ease, he still felt physically drained out of all his energy, not to mention mentally. After all the weeks of being away from school, anyone would consider that being heaven, not for him. Even sleep seemed to be his enemy, since bad memories of the past would keep flooding into his mind when ever his eyes closed.  
  
"HEY! It's Duo!" Mariemaia squealed when she saw him heading towards them, "Come on Duo; get over here so I can hug you!"  
  
Duo just smiled but continued to keep at his slow pace as he headed towards them.  
  
"Fine, I will come over to you then," Mariemaia called out to him as she got off the table she was sitting on and dashed towards him, "Brace yourself Duo because I have to make up for the days you missed out on my welcoming hugs!" Throwing herself over him she giggled and squeezed his neck tightly, causing him to gag at the strength she held on him.  
  
"Haha, come on Marie, Duo has just recovered you know, give him a bit of space will you?" Alex said laughing at the facials Duo was giving them as though he was being strangled more then being hugged.   
  
Mariemaia turned her head to Alex and poked her tongue at him before releasing her hold on Duo, "Geez, don't I have the right to be happy that Duo has finally recovered? I know you're just jealous that I am hugging Duo much longer then what I do for you."  
  
Raising an eyebrow at her and sarcastically said, "Yeah. I. Am. Very. Jealous."  
  
"Hahaha I was only joking," Mariemaia said as she walked back to their table.  
  
"Come on Duo, don't act like a stranger on us. Come on, take a seat," Mueller said to him as he gestured to the free seat opposite from him. Duo gave them a weak smile but didn't say anything as he took Mueller up on his offer. His change in moods didn't by pass Hilde though.   
  
She was leaning against a tree which was beside their table and watched Duo with concern. He looked so uncomfortable, as though he were new and just met them for the first time. She could tell that he was trying his hardest not to look troubled over what ever it was that was in his mind but it wasn't fooling her.  
  
"Hey Hil, is something wrong?" Mariemaia asked as she came up to her.  
  
Taking her eyes off Duo she looked over to Mariemaia and gave her a weak smile, "It's ok, nothings wrong."  
  
"Hmm, well I don't believe you. Both you and Duo are acting weird today, did something happen between you two or something?"  
  
Hilde was surprised by Mariemaia's words, "You can see that he's acting strange too?"  
  
"Well yeah, I mean, Duo is always talking and he's always smiling and everything. But for some reason, he isn't his cheerful self today. I would have thought that being out and about again would have brightened his mood from the time we last visited him." Leaning closer to her she asked, "I assume your acting weird because of him huh?"  
  
"Oh thanks, so I'm not allowed to be concerned about him?"  
  
"Hey, don't make a 'Quatre vs. Duo' turn on me girl, I was just asking. Of course I'm not saying you can't be worried, I just wanted to make sure that you're not having any problems either."  
  
Hilde regretted snapping at her now. Her expression softened as she patted her on the shoulder, "I'm sorry Marie. I didn't mean to be so harsh." Pausing for a few moments she added, "I think I will need to talk to him later to find out what's wrong."  
  
She didn't say that in an all too quiet tone, since Duo had been listening to them. His attention looked to be on Alex and Mueller as they talked but his attention was on Hilde mainly. She had not spoken to him yet, and like Mariemaia, she would always be energetic about saying hi to her friends and embrace them with a big friendly hug, she had done neither. He didn't know what to tell her though once she will ask him, since he wouldn't know what to say. He was still confused and frustrated over everything himself.  
  
********************************  
  
'Great, just what I feel like first thing in the morning, English,' Duo cursed in his head as he went though his locker, trying to find what he will require for lesson. Hilde was standing beside him as she patiently waited for him to get his things but her vision was totally focused on him as she looked upon him with concerned eyes. Duo had been watching her from the corner of his eye and began to grow a little uncomfortable with her staring. Finally getting his books out from the junk heap of his locker he closed it up and remained focused on the closed door as he said, "What is it Hilde? You have been staring at me ever since I got here."  
  
Hilde gave him a blank expression and tilted her head off to the side a bit as she thought, 'Wow, very observant.'   
  
Snapping out of her thoughts she said, "I have noticed that you haven't been your normal self since you arrived. I don't mean to pry but, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here."  
  
Duo turned to look at her and smiled at the concern she was showing him. As much as he would like to talk to her, he didn't know how to explain what he was feeling. She knew of what happened to him those few years ago but didn't know the full story, the bit where it involved Relena. He thought he had everything sorted out, the past which he could not let go of had been buried for a couple of years now has suddenly resurfaced again. No thanks to Quatre. His mood turned sour at the thought of it. Quatre had visited him some time last week and during that visit, Duo had no idea what to think anymore.  
  
Duo was deep in thought about Quatre's words to him but was suddenly snapped out of it as Hilde waved her hand over his face, "Hey Duo, are you sure your ok? You're drifting off into space again."  
  
Shaking his head of the thoughts in his mind he looked down at Hilde and said, "I'm sorry Hil, as much as I would like to talk to you about it, it's something only I can sort out for myself. I'm, confused at the moment. I'm facing something which I haven't dared to look back at for a couple of years now and, it's starting to take its toll on me again so, I need to face it on my own. Please understand."  
  
Looking at him in question, just to be sure if he was serious about what he was saying she slowly nodded and said, "Alright, but just remember that not just me but everyone else in the group is worried about you and will be willing to help you through what ever it is that's worrying you, ok?"  
  
Nodding at her in response he gave her a weak smile and started heading off to class. Hilde watched him as he left and slowly started making her way to hers. She did understand if Duo wanted to handle things on his own but in a way, she wished he could have said something. Anything would have been fine with her, even if it was something she had no knowledge over, at least it would have taken a load off of Duo's back. The only thing she could really think about was if Duo was still affected by the fight with Quatre some how. But when he said that it was something that had been affecting him some few years ago the only conclusion she could come out of that was...  
  
"Hey Hil!" Mariemaia called out to her hysterically, waving her hands furiously over her head.  
  
Hilde smiled and waved back to her as she approached her asking, "You're running a bit late to class, aren't you?"  
  
"Hey, that should be my line, I was expecting to find you up there already," Mariemaia said. Shrugging it off, Mariemaia started heading up the stairs and looked back down at Hilde who wasn't behind her, "Come on or we will be late."  
  
Hilde was still concerned about Duo but pushed that aside as she took two steps at a time to catch up to Mariemaia. She needed to concentrate on the work at hand at the moment, Duo wanted to sort out things on his own so she should respect that and patiently wait for him to recover on his own. After all, he didn't want to involve her in it so she should just accept that.   
  
When they made it up the stairs, Mariemaia started going on about the hockey match Hilde would be having soon. Thoughts about the game didn't concern her at the moment, but as they approached the door to their class, Quatre happened to arrive at the same time as them. Hilde glared at the sight of him. Mariemaia looked at her in confusion before turning her gaze to where she was staring. Once she saw Quatre, Mariemaia saddened when she saw how ashamed Quatre felt about everything as he bowed his head in shame and headed into the classroom. It was not her place to say anything since it involved Duo and Quatre but she didn't like the idea of losing Quatre as a friend because of Duo's thoughts on him. Why couldn't she be friends with the both of them?  
  
Quatre noticed Hilde glaring at him but didn't bring himself to look at her, he admired her for being such a dedicated friend to Duo but her coldness towards him was making it hard for him to keep a straight face. He regretted what he had done and her glares were making him feel all the more guilty.   
  
As he walked into the computing room, he sat himself down and started logging on. As he did so, he remembered Duo saying to him that he had never told his past to anyone before. If that was the case, why did Hilde stand by his beliefs when she didn't even know them? It was good of her to show her support to him, but didn't she have a right to think for herself as well? Shaking his head of his thoughts, he knew that it would be pointless to think over such things, he needed to concentrate on the work he had to do.   
  
Hilde and Mariemaia walked in a few moments after Quatre did, Hilde remained silent as she sat down and began logging onto her computer. Mariemaia on the other hand couldn't help but feel guilt eat away at her. She was to hate Quatre by someone else's beliefs, not on her own and she hated herself for doing this. But she would have no one if she began to think on her own initiative. She had to follow in Duo's beliefs for her own benefit, she had no other choice.  
  
********************************  
  
Upon entering his English classroom, Duo made his way to his seat but felt as though someone was watching him. Sitting himself down in the back row he looked to the other side of the room and found Wufei glaring at him. Duo turned his gaze away from his and continued to ignore him but found it being a bit difficult since he could still feel his cold gaze on him like a hawk. Sighing to himself he figured that he better not say anything since Wufei will pound him once again for stepping out of line. Touching his nose, he didn't want to go through the process of having it broken again, as much as he hated to admit, he was no match for Wufei. After all, he was no fighting expert.  
  
At that moment their English teacher made his entrance into the classroom, "Excuse me, could we have some quiet in here please," he said as he eyed everyone in the class for their attention. When everyone eventually settled down, their English teacher started going through his roll book. Adjusting his glasses as he briefly checked to make sure if everyone was here and counted the students up.   
  
"Alright everyone, today we will be starting on our next assignment. We will be researching the movie..." Pausing for a moment as he picked up a piece of chalk from the board he wrote down the name of their next piece. Moving out of the way for the class to see, you could hear the moaning from the males and see some delighted smiles from the females. Duo looked at the board wide eyed as he read what they will be working on, 'American Beauty.' Hitting his forehead on the desk he cursed the fact that they had to watch such a boring and useless movie, 'Well, at least we don't have to read another novel, for now.'  
  
"Alright, before we watch through the movie I will be assigning each of you to partners. There are a lot of elements to uncover with this movie," Moving over to his desk he picked up a stack of paper and started handing them to his students, "Here are some of the things which I want you to look into within this piece. There are different sections for each group to research so studying this piece as a whole will be a lot easier on each of you."   
  
Walking back to the front of the class again he continued, "We will only be watching through this movie once. With your partners I will expect you to watch this movie a few more times and to do the work outside class time. This will be presented as an oral but afterwards, your notes will be photocopied and given to everyone in the class. You will NOT be picking your partners since I know most of you will hardly get anything done if you're paired with your best friend." Reaching for the cardboard box on his desk he held it up for everyone to see and explained, "All of your names are written on pieces of paper within this box. This will determine your partners for this assignment and depending on who gets matched up with whom, I will be the one to swap it if necessary." Placing his hand in the box he shuffled around with the papers before he started drawing. Picking up one name he read out, "Josie and...," Pulling out another name he read, "Brett." Repeating the process he continued to call out names,  
  
"Jaime and Daniel."  
  
"Felicity and Tai."  
  
As he went through pairing everyone in the class, Duo was getting a little anxious about whom he will be paired with. None of his friends were in this class and just the thought on maybe being paired with Wufei or Dorothy sent shivers down his spine. If he had to be paired with either of them he will REFUSE to do any work. Both he and Dorothy would be at each others necks half the time while the other half will be based on arguing. Even with Wufei, Duo will be too paranoid about watching his back to be paying any attention to the movie. 'Please don't let it be Wufei or Dorothy, please don't let it be Wufei or Dorothy,' he chanted in his mind. Listening once again to their teacher calling out partners, the next two came up as,  
  
"Wufei and Dorothy."  
  
"Whew," Duo sighed with relief as he lifted his head off from the table. Knowing that he wasn't going to be with either of them he relaxed a little and leaned back on his chair, folding his arms behind his head in the process. Besides Dorothy and Wufei he pretty much got a long with the rest of the class so who ever he got paired up with didn't bother him anymore. Waiting for his name to be called out, he was beginning to wonder if fate was on his side at the moment. Who could have thought that he wouldn't have been paired with those two snobs, the funniest thought was the fact that they were put together as partners. However, his rejoicing didn't last long when the mention of his name was called out and the next person to be nominated as his partner was none other then,  
  
"Duo and Relena."  
  
At the mention of Relena's name Duo lost all sense of balance and fell to the ground with the overwhelming shock of who his partner will be. Gathering himself off the floor in a flash he stood to attention and yelled, "WHAT!!" At that moment, he looked about the room to find out who called out with him at the same time.   
  
Their English teacher had almost finished the pairings before he was rudely interrupted by that sudden sound of protest. Looking up to the class he noticed Duo standing, not to mention Wufei had his hand up as well.  
  
"Is there a problem you two?" The English teacher asked as he re-adjusted his glasses once again.  
  
As Duo opened his mouth to answer he was suddenly interrupted by Wufei, "Mr. Quinze, I don't think the idea of Duo being paired with Relena is a good idea," Wufei said with a growl as he narrowed his eyes on Duo. Duo sat himself back down again but kept his expression blank, he wanted to return the glare but he didn't have the guts to try that yet. Especially when he was basically speaking his mind, he had no reason to complain.  
  
"And why do you find this of annoyance Mr. Chang?"  
  
"The fact that Duo and Relena were involved in a fight not very long ago is of concern to me sir. I rather doubt if any work will be done between them because of this and I do not want to fail my exams at the end of the year because of it," Wufei said proudly as he watched Mr. Quinze considering his words. There was NO way in hell that Wufei was about to let Duo and Relena be put together as partners. It was bad enough that Duo had hit her, he was not about to have the chance of it happening again, "If you wouldn't mind me asking sir, to not disrupt the other pairings, I suggest that you swap these to with me and Dorothy." At that moment both Relena and Duo went under a major panic at the thought of that. Dorothy on the other hand smirked at Wufei's words, she loved the way he bent things into his favour by a few twists of words. 'Using end of year exams as an excuse as indeed a good move Wufei, you may fool anyone with that excuse, but it didn't by pass me.'   
  
Mr. Quinze went into deep thought as to what he should do. Wufei and Dorothy were his top grading students in the class, whereas Duo and Relena were close to the bottom of it. Splitting them would indeed be good considering the fact that Duo and Relena would be paired with two dedicated students, however he had to think of everyone else as well. He would start arguments if he were to swap them, already he could see students murmuring to each other about how unfair it will be if they got the privilege to swap partners.   
  
Moving over to his marks book he examined the marks between the four people. Wufei and Dorothy were having no problems, Duo wasn't doing the bests of his set standards but he was at least passing. Relena on the other hand has been failing most of the assignments but during the last couple of weeks her marks had been improving, not all that good yet, but she hadn't been decreasing at least.   
  
Looking up towards Wufei he said, "I can understand your concern Wufei and I will admit that your offer did sound appealing." Wufei glared at him as he started getting the impression that his request was not going to be considered, "It would be unfair to the rest of the class if I gave them privilege to swap partners."  
  
Before Mr. Quinze could continue Wufei interrupted, "Fairness of groups isn't going to be helping us at the end of the year sir. I for one think that passing with the highest grades possible is more important than, fairness. This will be one of the things we will have to study at the end of the year and if there are people in this class who can't set the standards of others than everyone else will be brought down because of it." Dorothy suppressed her laughter as she watched Wufei from the corner of her eye, she could almost see the steam rushing out of his ears.   
  
Wufei was losing his patience with Mr. Quinze and it was taking every ounce of his strength not to explode at him, the pairing is just not going to work! If Relena got hurt again by Duo he would never forgive himself since he could have prevented it. Duo will also be looking for a harder pounding if it were to happen again anyway, so for his sake, he wouldn't want to pull anything again.  
  
Turning his vision to Relena who was in the front row of the class, Mr. Quinze asked, "What do you think Relena?"  
  
Relena jumped slightly when she heard her name mentioned. She didn't want to get involved in this.  
  
"Your marks have been improving lately so I won't be too big on changing you just yet. I will give you the choice, either work with Duo or work with Wufei or Dorothy. I recommend Wufei or Dorothy but if you can work with Duo then that's fine too but I hope to expect good quality work from the both of you."  
  
'Great, just great,' Relena cursed to herself. Quite frankly she didn't want to be paired with any of them. She was too scared to even look at Duo let alone work with him. Wufei was just out of the question and she isn't exactly on good terms with Dorothy either. If she had to make the choice she would choose Dorothy but the thought on Wufei and Duo being together worried her deeply. Because of her she got Duo sent to hospital because of him and she didn't want to allow such a thing to happen again. But there was no way she would pair herself with Wufei either, the last thing she really needed at the moment was to be alone with him. No, she was not ready to be on talking grounds with him yet, not yet, she couldn't.  
  
"I don't mind working with Duo sir, to be fair, I should remain with him as my partner," Relena finally answered. Wufei, Duo and Dorothy turned their gazes at her and were shocked by her answer, one, which each of them was not expecting.  
  
"Very good then. I assume that there are no problems with you Mr. Maxwell?" Mr. Quinze asked as he looked towards him.  
  
As much as Duo resented being paired with Relena, she at least won't do anything to him, unlike Wufei and Dorothy. Sighing in defeat he nodded his head and said, "I'm fine, no problems here."   
  
As Quinze went back into drawing out the next couple of groups Duo finished to himself, 'No problems here that can be resolved.' But what puzzled him was the fact that he expected her to choose Dorothy as a partner. At least they were on talking grounds compared to him and her but then he would have killed himself knowing that he would be paired with Wufei. 'Hang on; did she remain with me because of that?' Shaking that thought out of his head he kicked himself for even thinking such a thing. But then Quatre's visit started flooding into his mind again.  
  
******Duo's Flashback******  
  
Duo stirred in his sleep as he continued to hear knocks at the door. Hoping that who ever it was will leave soon. He put his pillow over his head but singed at the pain he felt from it as it pressed onto his nose. Getting himself into sitting position he continued to hear knocks at the door, "DUO! ANSWER THE BLOODY DOOR ALREADY!!!" A deep, croaking voice yelled out to him. Sighing to himself he muttered under his breath, "Why don't you answer it fat bastard." Knowing that 'he' won't be the one to answer it, Duo dragged himself out of bed and slowly made his way to the door, holding his stomach at the pain of even moving. He stumbled a couple of times from the crinkled carpet mats but made it to the door without falling over and cracking his head open. As he opened the door he didn't prepare himself for the sudden shock of 'this' person ever visiting him.  
  
Quatre was dressed in his school uniform and looked at Duo with a whole mix of feelings, ashamed, concerned, and uncomfortable. Duo did not know how to react, he never expected Quatre to come to his house like this. He was a mix of emotions too, angry, upset, frustrated, annoyed. They stood there for a moment and stared at each other before Duo suddenly heard the bellow of that ugly thing in the house again, "WHO'S AT THE DOOR BOY!?"  
  
"Just a, person from school," Duo called back in his 'nicest' tone possible. He didn't turn his gaze away from Quatre as he said that. Looking up and down at Quatre he noticed that he seemed to look completely unharmed by any form of physical damage. What ever happened to him being bashed by Heero or Wufei? He was just as much involved in that fight as he was. "What do you want?"  
  
Quatre looked at him helplessly, he felt so uncomfortable visiting Duo like this. By Duo's appearance he could tell that he still had the fight fresh in his mind. Looking up and down at his form he couldn't help but notice that Duo was a total and utter mess. By the looks of him Quatre figured that he might have just gotten out of bed since his clothes were all wrinkled and his hair, which was still in a plat looked to not have been touched for days.   
  
He was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of red boxer shorts but from his bare arms he could see many bruises, some darker than others. Quatre dared not think about what his body may look like under that t-shirt. From his punch and the added ones Wufei inflicted to him he was shocked to even think that Duo could still walk. Looking up at his face he saw that both of his eyes looked to be swollen, his right one wasn't even open, it had a massive purple bruise over it and his left one was only barely open but it looked to be healing better than his right one. Duo's nose had a thick, white bandage over it while he had a couple of other bandages over his left eyebrow but to sum it up, most of Duo's face was completely covered with bruises. Just looking at him wasn't helping Quatre out one bit, he started the fight and he hardly got any punishment for it while Duo, who was the victim, got the worse punishment over the fact that he was only concerned for him.  
  
"Duo, um, may I come in?"  
  
Duo couldn't believe this guy, after everything that has happened to him, did Quatre still expected him to treat him with some form of compassion? Duo had every right to just slam the door in his face, or even take him down for what has happened to him but since he was in such a pitiful state, that option had to totally be ruled off, much to his dismay. Rounding up the words he wanted to shout in Quatre's face he suddenly heard the 'tub of lard' come towards them, 'Oh no.'  
  
"DUO!!! WHAT'S THE IDEA OF KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN LIKE THIS!!!?" Looking at Quatre the man dragged him in and slammed the door shut behind him. Looking back at Duo he yelled, "THERE IS A DRAFT RUNNING THROUGH THAT OPEN DOOR!!! JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE BEATEN TO A PULP DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACT AS THOUGH YOU ARE BRAIN DEAD AS WELL!!!"   
  
Quatre stared at the man wide eyed. The man was a fair few inches taller than both of them; he towered over them in height, not to mention weight. The guy was HUGE, just by looking at him Quatre would assume him to be over three hundred and fifty kilos! He had a long black hair with grey strands running through it and had a beard which went down to his chest. He was wearing a white singlet which had many stains over it and wore dark blue shorts which had faded a lot in age.  
  
Quatre quickly turned his gaze away from him when he noticed the man turn his vision towards him. Quatre stood perfectly still as the man watched him but as Quatre watched him from the corner of his eye he was beginning to feel as though he was not welcomed at all, even though he was dragged into the house. Quatre could feel the sweat from his forehead run down the edge of his face with the overwhelming fear he was having over the man. Thankfully the man turned his vision away from him and gave a cautioned look at Duo before he stomped his way back to the lounge room.   
  
When he left Quatre felt it safe to breathe again, although the smell of the man was still remained in the air. It smelt as though he hadn't showered for weeks, not to mention that he probably hasn't even heard of the word deodorant before.   
  
Duo just looked at Quatre briefly before he turned to leave but felt pains in his stomach again when he turned himself around too suddenly. As he felt himself about ready to collapse to the ground, Quatre quickly went up to him and held him up by the shoulders, he was too scared to touch Duo anywhere else without hurting him so the shoulders were the only option he could think of at that second.  
  
"Let go of me," Duo warned him as he tried prying his way out of Quatre's hold.  
  
"Please, allow me help you Duo," Quatre said as he helped Duo back on his feet. Once he was on his feet again Duo roughly released himself from his hold and staggered his way to his room, with Quatre following behind him. Duo's energy levels were very low at the moment and since he spent what little energy he had fuming at Quatre, he only barely made it to his bed. Quatre wanted to help him but Duo would always give him 'the look' to make him keep his distance.   
  
When Duo had finally managed to get himself in bed properly again he gave him a little smirk and said, "Well, go on, say it."  
  
When he said this, Quatre just looked at him in question while Duo just stared back at him; waiting for him to say what Duo knew was going through his mind.  
  
"I'm sorry Duo but, I don't know what you meant by that."  
  
"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME QUATRE! I could see it in your eyes; you are disgusted with the way this place looks huh? By the look of our flat you have probably noticed that the place is falling apart, the grass out the front is dead; all the plants which were originally there have withered away. Even in here you have noticed the cracks in the walls, the torn wallpaper, the dust, the shit all over the floor, the smell of the place. The way you were looking at me also showed the signs of disgust you have towards me and my home. Go on, I know you were thinking that, come on, admit it!"  
  
"Duo, if anything, I did not come here just to insult you on your home."  
  
"Oh right sure, so you're saying that the thought of disgust didn't even come into your mind once!? I some how don't believe that."  
  
'Why is Duo being so moody?' Yes he can understand that he would still be angry at him for hitting him like that, not to mention, be the cause of Wufei smashing him up. But if anything, Duo seems to want to pick a fight with him over matters which don't concern the fight.  
  
"Duo please, I came here to apologize. I didn't mean to hit you like I did, and because of me, this is the result of what my foolishness has done to you. It was wrong of me I know, you were only worried about me and now it has resulted in me losing a really good friend."  
  
"Oh, so now you are expecting that your sucking up to me will make me forgive you now is that it?"  
  
"No of course not, I just wanted to let you know that I really do regret those actions that I pulled on you," Quatre mumbled the last few words since the guilt of everything was starting to rush over him again.  
  
"Oh, is this supposed to be the bit where I'm supposed to accept your apology? I can't even believe I allowed such a think to slip my mind. Oh no, the reason for that was because of THE FACT THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY OR DO CAN TAKE BACK WHAT HAS HAPPENED QUATRE!!! AND WHAT PISSES ME OFF EVEN MORE IS THE FACT THAT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED TO YOU YET, SO WHAT DID YOU DO? BRIBE THEM SO THAT NEITHER HEERO NOR WUFEI WOULD HURT YOU!?"  
  
Duo's words were slicing through Quatre as though knives were being stabbed into him. Tears were swelling up in his eyes now, but he couldn't allow them to fall, he just couldn't. Duo was showing him no mercy and even though Quatre was expecting this, not to mention deserved it, he didn't think it would hurt him so much. The fact that Quatre had lost his temper was because of the way he had broken Relena's promise. Duo just happened to be the unlucky person around him at that time to push the wrong buttons. Quatre didn't hate him at all, he cherished the friendship he had with Duo and since he cares for him deeply, his words were hurting his heart.  
  
"Hmph, what I wouldn't wish to have money like that to throw around as I pleased. You should feel ashamed Quatre, do you think that your some sort of god or something where everyone should love and treat you with respect, all because you are well known and wealthy!? Well I'm sorry if I'm not one of those followers Quatre, but personally if I was anything like I was then, than I could show you up with money and power any day!"  
  
"Duo, please, I-" He couldn't hold it down anymore, as soon as one tear cascaded down his cheek, that gave invitation for the rest of them to come down. Quatre closed his eyes tightly as to try and stop them but with the regret over Duo, Relena, and himself, it was all starting to come back at him. He didn't know what to do, there was nothing he could say to change things, this was the result of his own foolishness so, like Duo said to Relena, 'You deserve whatever's thrown at you.'   
  
Dropping down to the ground, Quatre put a hand over his eyes to try and cover up his pitiful state but even as he tried sobbing quietly he knew that it looked bad either way. 'Men aren't supposed to cry. But no, I'm no man; I'm still a child, the same child I have always been ever since I can remember.'  
  
Duo was about ready to fire at him again with more insults but just the look of Quatre's pitiful state was enough to silence him. He knew Quatre was a bit of a softy but if anything he didn't know that he was THIS open with his emotions. Didn't Quatre understand that this was making him look even worse than what he already did? Was he expecting forgiveness over the tears that he was shedding? 'Is this another one of your tricks to seek forgiveness Quatre?' Duo didn't flinch as he watched Quatre quietly sob in the corner; however, he was beginning to give him the impression of a lost little boy. 'Lost little boy...' As Duo continued to watch him he started having flashbacks of memories sweep by him of his past, the past he had thought was buried years ago.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
A little boy of about ten years old sat helplessly under the kitchen table as he watched and feared what was being displayed before him.  
  
"WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY!? ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM ME YOU WHORE!?" The man said as he stood right before a much shorter woman with cobalt eyes and long light brown hair.   
  
The woman was shaking furiously as she dared to look up at the man before her, "I- I don't have anymore money."  
  
That answer awarded the woman with a slap across the face, causing her to collapse to the ground from the force. Walking up to her again the man lifted her by her shirt and shook her about as he yelled again, "I THINK YOUR LYING TO ME HONEY! I WILL SAY IT AGAIN, W-H-E-R-E I-S T-H-E M-O-N-E-Y!!!"  
  
"Please, I told you, it's all gone. My bank account has been sucked dry, we have nothing left," she whispered to him, whimpering at the hold he had over her.  
  
The man was furious; no money meant no more drinking, no more gambling, no more cigarettes. There was no way he was going to take this lightly. Throwing her across the room, she hit the counter of the kitchen and cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, defenseless and helpless in the situation she was in. The man glared down at her pitiful form and darted his gaze to the little boy under the table.  
  
When the little boy saw him come towards him he screamed and rushed to his mother. Because of his youth, he wasn't able to out run the man and when the man grabbed hold of him he whacked the boy over bottom and threw him to the other side of the kitchen. The little boy screamed in pain while the man yelled, "SHUT UP YOU LITTLE-" Since the little boy continued to scream in pain, the man untied his leather belt and started heading towards him. The woman watched as he started heading over to her son, struggling to get to her feet she called out, "NO, PLEASE NO! HE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG!"  
  
"This little thing is the cause of all the money's disappearance, all because of worthless things like schooling, clothing and food. That money used on him could have lasted us a while, he is worthless and is doing nothing but leech off of us," the man said as he looked down at the terrified boy. Kicking him in the gut the boy cried out in pain as the woman started crawling to him, "Please don't, no, my son." The man raised his belt and slashed the boy over his back, the boy screamed in agony. Raising it up once more he slashed him over the back again before the woman suddenly shielded the boy.  
  
"GET OUT OF THE WAY WOMAN!!!"  
  
"PLEASE! Spare him and I will work to get our money back! No matter what it takes, just leave him alone, I beg of you," the woman pleaded as she gently brought her son into her arms. Her words brought the man to lowering his belt, much to the woman's relief. But then he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and said, "I need to teach you a lesson as to not go about and waste our money again." She looked helplessly at him as he began to drag her out the kitchen.   
  
The little boy quietly sobbed at the pain he was feeling and crawled his way into one of the kitchen cupboards. Huddling himself up in one of the dark corners he brought his knees up to his chest and laid his head in his lap, quietly sobbing to himself as he could faintly hear the screams of his mother coming from the other side of the house.  
  
***End of Flashback***  
  
Duo was starting to feel tears form up in his eyes at the bad remembrance of such a memory, to think that it was triggered off just by watching Quatre cry. The look of Quatre in that helpless huddled ball was beginning to flood everything back into his mind.   
  
"No, not again. Not now. Not when I thought I was finally rid of it," Duo whispered to himself as he felt tears fill up in his badly bruised eyes. Quatre had heard his words and looked up at him slowly; Quatre's eyes had puffy sags under them and were shocked to suddenly notice Duo crying too. What he didn't understand was what Duo meant by those words. Standing up from his spot on the floor, Quatre slowly made his way over to him, he was taking a big risk by confronting him in such a state but he wanted to find out what was wrong.  
  
"Stay back Quatre," Duo said between sobs as he raised his hand to indicate for him to stop where he was.  
  
"Duo, I-I can't help but feel that there is another issue bothering you at the moment. One that, isn't related to the fight we had," Quatre said as he continued to approach him.  
  
"Just, go Quatre," Duo begged, his voice held no anger within it but softened into a quiet, weak, helpless voice.   
  
Quatre sat down on the bed beside him as he gently put his hand over Duo's shoulder, "I'm so sorry Duo. It is my fault that your feeling this pain isn't it? If it will help, I will not hold it against you if you decide to pull this treatment on me. I deserve it after all."  
  
Duo jerked his head up to Quatre and said, "How can you say that! You think I'm just some psycho who takes pleasure in hurting people or something!?"  
  
Quatre shook his head at Duo and was about to make up for that worthless comment before Duo interrupted him, "I'm not like 'him' if you're getting that impression. There is no way in HELL that I would want to turn out like that. He may get pleasure in beating me but don't think I'm like that to others," Pausing for a moment he soothed his voice down and took a deep breath to calm his nerves down to continue, "Quatre, I have been a bit harsh on you. No, I have been more than just a bit harsh, I-I have been throwing out my anger at you over something you don't even know. You see-" As he was saying these words, he could feel his hands shake as the words coming out of his mouth were beginning to quiver, "Quatre, what I'm about to say to you now is something I have NEVER in my life to anyone before, even Hilde doesn't know the full story. Maybe once you hear this, you will understand why I have a thing against Relena..."   
  
Watching Quatre's reaction to this, he noticed him looking at him blankly for a few moments before setting his concentration on what's about to be said. He nodded his understanding to promise that this will be kept between them, and patiently waited in silence for Duo to continue.   
  
Quatre had been very anxious to find out about this, Relena had not said anything to him about it and figured that maybe she was looking out for Duo in some way. This obviously seemed to revolve around him so maybe she didn't find it right to say anything, but then again, maybe she was ashamed of what she did. Quatre couldn't make any decisions now, hearing the story from Duo might finally put them on even grounds to give some form of understanding to each other; this was a good sign to show that Duo may still want to patch things up with him.  
  
After a few more moments of silence, Duo turned his vision to a particular spot on the ground to focus himself into saying these words; he didn't have the confidence to say it to him face to face. Wrapping his hands together he forced them to stop shaking and closed his eyes to allow the words of his past to flood out and be revealed, "That pathetic excuse for a parent out there is not my real father. He is 'supposed' to be my step father but I have no respect for that ignorant excuse for a human being. It would have been ten years ago when my real father was still alive and well, along with me and my mother. My father was a distributor of car parts, which provided us with enough money to do anything we wanted. My mother had unfortunately dropped out of school while she was still young and had been earning money by working behind checkouts, that was before she met my father."   
  
Smiling at the happy memory he continued, "Since my father was a good provider she didn't need to work the long hours over lousy pay cheques so she maintained our home and dedicated herself to looking after me. My mother was always kind to me; she would always take me out, whether if it was the beach or the park. It was great. I was worried at one stage if she ever got lonely because my father always had to work, but she told me that she never felt lonely since I resembled my father in so many ways, I had my father's personality while I had my mother's looks. I never will forget that. Even when I did get to see him, he always seemed to be in a cheerful mood, no matter how much work he would do. He use to spend like over twelve hours on that company, I hardly ever got to see my father during the weekdays, but he was always sure to spend time with me and my mother on weekends. I admired my father and wanted to be like him, I'm sure that explains to you why I like playing around with mechanical things huh?"   
  
Quatre nodded at that, Duo did seem to have quite a talent at fixing things, no matter how technical it was he would play around with it for as long as it takes to fix it. 'Must have been a genetic talent,' Quatre thought, smiling to himself.   
  
"But like all good things," Duo started again, "They never last forever." His eyes started swelling up with tears as he said that, rubbing at his eyes to stop any tears flowing he continued, "My father's company got sold out, it was to make way for some new hotels," Clenching his fists together, "Cinquil Hotels was the name of that damn place, and it was Relena's mother who demolished my father's factory! I remember seeing that bitch when I was over at the company to watch my dad work; she just waltzed into place and held up a piece of paper to sell out my father in order for her to take the land. Our company had been in our family for generations, and the fact that she thought that she could just suddenly say, 'Here is the offer I'm willing to make, either take it or be dragged out with nothing.' My father wasn't afraid of her; she had no right to just do that!"   
  
Duo's expression hardened, "But all of a sudden, we get a visit from Relena's father. He is a big shot lawyer who always wins his cases, and he ended up taking us to court over this incident since my father didn't accept Relena's mother's offer. As much as his reputation precedes him, he won and kicked my father out of the company, which I still don't understand how but he did."   
  
Putting his hands up to cover his face he went on, "My father invested everything into that company, when it was gone, he had so many debts to pay off but in the end, he went into deep depression. I had never seen him like that, ever. No matter what my mother would try to do, he was like an empty human shell. But one day, he locked himself up in his office and never came out, he stayed in there for like three days I think it was. My mother eventually got to the stage of pick locking the door open, but then..."   
  
Streams of tears were gliding down his face now, "We found my father, hanging from the ceiling by his neck. He used his neck ties to use as a noose to kill himself. That image has been imprinted in my mind and will always haunt me until I die. My mother tried remaining strong for me; I think if I wasn't there, she would have killed herself as well. It was too hard for her to find a job with her low education but she did what ever she could. She was never at home much anymore, since she would drown in her sorrows at a bar, we still had the money which Relena's mother offered us so she was being sure to use it wisely. But even she needed to treat herself to some luxuries. But then one day, she announces to me that she is seeing someone, as much as she wanted to look happy for me, I saw no happiness in her eyes. I hated the guy but it wasn't my place to say anything, if she needed him then I would support her decision. He leeched off my mother's money to do with it as he pleased, but when she told him that all her money was gone, he turned violent. He beats both my mother and I and a regular basis over things like money, or basically over anything if he's angry."   
  
Quatre's eyes widened when he heard this, he assumed he was talking about the man who dragged Quatre inside the house and looked about ready to kill both him and Duo.   
  
"Both my life and my mother's went down hill once my father killed himself, my mother has to work as a damn cleaner to support us, even I have to do some part time work since the money my mum earns automatically gets given to that prick out there. I can't stand our lives! We don't deserve this, because of Relena's family we lose everything while they gain more money in their pockets, who knows who else they sold out just to expand their business!!!"   
  
After a few moments of silence, Duo finally brought himself to look at Quatre; he needed to know if he understood. Instead, Quatre looked to be completely blank, Duo had no idea what was going through his mind, in a way, it was beginning to make him panic, "Please tell me you understand! You are the first person I have ever told this to, you can understand my pain right!" Duo asked him as he shook Quatre by his shoulders.   
  
Quatre released Duo's hands from his shoulders and nodded slowly in response, "Duo, I had no idea that you have been through so much pain and loss. If I knew before-"  
  
"Don't kick yourself over it Quatre, it was my fault for not explaining myself earlier. But now you can understand why I got so angry when ever you were with Relena. She doesn't deserve your friendship, and if I'm not mistaken, it wouldn't surprise me if her family would want to take over your family business as well."  
  
"What! Duo, that's taking it too far. I can understand your pain, really I can, but during your story, I heard nothing about Relena ever doing something to you."  
  
Duo's eyes widened with that statement, with his anger flaring again he yelled, "What do you mean she didn't do anything! She knew what her family did to me and loved watching me suffer during primary school! She was so full of herself and treated everyone like shit! What was worse was the fact that she could get away with everything because of the power her family possessed! She bagged me for being homeless and saying how much our family business was a dump, she caused the whole school to turn on me because of my family difficulties. I was lucky to have Hilde, she stood by me no matter what position she was putting herself into. That's why we are so close, we have always stood by each other in primary school. It got better when we met Mariemaia, Alex and Mueller in high school too. But even in high school, Relena was still the annoying little bitch that she always was. Because of her, everyone has a thing against us Quatre! Not just me, the whole group!"  
  
"I admire your strength Duo," Quatre suddenly said, catching Duo off guard, "When I met you, you were so cheerful all the time, you never let anything get to you and I admired that. You have gone through so much that you don't want your whole life to remain in ruins, you want to make the best of your life and always go about it with a smile."  
  
Duo softened his expression when he heard this, 'Maybe Quatre does understand me.'  
  
"However," Duo did not want to hear that, why couldn't Quatre just support him in his feelings? "Duo, I don't find it right that you throw out your anger at Relena for what her parents did to you."  
  
Duo was shocked but Quatre followed up, "Your descriptions of her do not match who she is now. You have every right to be angry but since you were hurt so deeply, you can't let go of your past. I'm not saying to forget what happened, but don't make it control your life! For you to truly be happy you need to start looking forward, not back at the times that cannot be changed. You judge Relena for what you saw of her in the past, what about now? Have you bothered to look and see her for who she really is, not just by the impression of her family? I saw you as one not to judge people by their reputations Duo, I know for a fact that she is not that same girl you knew then. Not to mention, she is going through some emotional problems as well."  
  
Before Duo could rip into him for saying such a thing, Quatre interrupted again, "You know what Duo? Don't you find it strange that I only just found out about your past now? If Relena knew of it, why didn't I find out from her?"  
  
"She probably wants to remain innocent so that you will always be friends with her!"  
  
"You described her as being one who was proud of making you go through pain, not once have I heard anything about her past from her mouth and I will not pry into it. If she was proud she would say everything about herself to look good to others, but she hasn't. If what you say is true then I would assume that she is ashamed of herself and hated what she did to you. SHE CARES DUO! You might not believe this but Relena wanted to get rid of me when ever I was near her, and do you want to know why? Because she didn't want to be the one to ruin the friendship between us. She did not want me to pick her over you and the rest of the group. And the reason for that is because she hates herself and thinks that she doesn't deserve to be happy! I know this because I see it in her eyes."  
  
Duo tried again to speak his mind but was stopped once again, "I picked her over you and the rest of the group because you judge her by what she was and not what she is now. I wanted to still remain friends with you, really I did. I have never gotten the chance to make such good friends like you and everyone else. But you began to judge me because your mind was starting to tell you that I believed, what she did to you in the past was right. Your past is clouding your judgment," Pausing for a moment he said in a low voice, "I'm right when I said that aren't I? You believed that I was on her side when it came to your past didn't you?"  
  
Duo no longer had the ability to speak, he was right; he brought the situation of his past into the present. With Quatre defending her, his mind played tricks on him believing that Quatre was defending her family, for what they did to him. He had no idea how to react; his mind was battling with Quatre's words. Part of him believed what he was saying was true while another part of him was against it.  
  
"I don't expect you to believe my words Duo, it is your decision to believe what you think is right. You have been hanging onto your past for so long that it would be hard to let go. It will be a memory which will be looked upon from time to time, but it shouldn't rule your life. Start looking ahead Duo, see things for what they are and not what you saw them as in your past. You deserve to be happy, but in order to do that, you need to face up to your past and not keep it hidden any longer."  
  
Standing up from Duo's bed, he looked at him one last time and started heading for the door. Before walking out he looked back at Duo and said, "I will always think of you as my friend Duo, I will understand if you don't feel the same way. But I will always cherish what we had, but I'm afraid that I will still remain friends with Relena. Please get well soon."   
  
Digging into his jacket pocket Quatre pulled out a little box and threw it over to Duo. Duo caught it with ease and noticed it to be a box of chocolates, looking up at him again, Quatre smiled and waved to him before leaving. Duo listened in as he heard the front door open and close, leaving the sounds of a car leaving a few moments later. Looking down at the chocolates once more, Duo had no idea what to think anymore, did his talk with Quatre help him? It confused him more than anything else, what he always believed and stood by has now been thrown out the window. 'Start looking ahead; see things for what they are and not what you saw them as in your past.'  
  
******End of Duo's Flashback******  
  
'Am I really wrong for treating Relena in such a way? No, how can I, she did the same to me. I am merely doing what she did to me.' He was so deep in thought about everything, that he didn't realize he bell had already gone. Snapping out of his thoughts he noticed that the movie had already ended and it was playing the ending credits. Sighing to himself in frustration he bowed his head onto the desk and heard Mr. Quinze say, "Don't forget work on your set tasks based on this movie. I expect to hear everyone's oral presentations by next week." Raising his head up from the desk, Duo slowly got out of his seat and thought, 'Set tasks? Did he give us them already? Geez, good on you Duo, you blacked out for the whole double lesson.'  
  
"Um, Duo?"  
  
Hearing his name being said he looked up and almost jumped by noticing Relena standing in front of him. Narrowing his eyes on her he remained silent as he waited for her to continue, "Um, I-I was just wondering if, if you wanted to, maybe we could work on this at my house." Looking at her in question Relena lowered her head and kept her gaze on the floor. What Duo wouldn't give to just spit in her face and ask if she was being for real, but for some reason, he did nothing like that but said, "Yeah, I think that will be best."  
  
Surprised by his answer Relena brought her gaze up to his but noticed him looking off to the side. He seemed annoyed but uncomfortable at the same time, not that she couldn't blame him but she was waiting for some form of insult, but nothing came. Taking this as a good sign she continued, "Well, um, shall we meet at the car park after school?"   
  
Turning his gaze to her briefly he watched her carefully for any negative signs. Strange how she appeared to look innocent and weak at the same time, hardly the girl he remembered back then. Not wanting to get deep in thought about it again he nodded and said, "Yeah, I will be there anyway since I brought my car today." Walking past her, Duo was beginning to have second thoughts about this. He had a long time to think this through but he couldn't help but feel as though he was betraying his father in some way. Was he really ready to face everything? Visiting her home meant facing her parents. 'I wonder if they would remember me.'  
  
Watching Duo leave the room, Relena was starting to get second thoughts about inviting him to her home. With what things have been like between them, would more conflict rise before them once he set foot in her house? As she began making her way to the exit she froze in her steps when she saw a pair of flashing black eyes watching her from the door. Relena remained still as she stared into Wufei's eyes. He was so complex that she couldn't understand what he was doing, she felt as though she had upset him in some way and that he's giving her the glare saying that she has stepped over line. He continued to do this for a few moments before he suddenly decided to leave, not saying a word to her as he left the room. Staring at the door in question for a few moments she eventually made her way out, being casious of her surroundings as she did so.  
  
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The drive to Relena's house was indeed a silent one. Both Duo and Relena were feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. Both of them were deep in thought, each questioning if whether or not their actions were really the best ones to take. The only words that were spoken were when Relena directed Duo to her home. As he parked the car at the front of her house they both got out and headed to the front door. Duo stared at it in question, 'I would have thought that her place was a lot bigger than this.' There was nothing wrong with her home; it was a normal standard house but still a nice one. Duo just assumed that maybe she lived in a mansion like Quatre or something, with the money her family would have, he couldn't understand why they wouldn't.  
  
As they walked in Duo examined the place carefully, nothing looked to be out of the ordinary. In fact, her home was like any normal one, which he found being very odd. Duo was beginning to question his beliefs on her now, Quatre had been right about everything so far; he hated Quatre in a way for never being wrong on things like this. How could Quatre know what lies in your heart and mind so easily? He couldn't help but wonder that Quatre seemed to understand him better than what he understood himself, it was strange.   
  
As they walked into the lounge room, Duo noticed a woman sitting on one of the couches, drinking a coffee as she looked to be reading a novel.  
  
"I'm home mother," Relena said as she came into the room.  
  
"Hm, so you are," Mrs. Darlian said as she looked up at her briefly. Before she lowered her gaze back to her book again she noticed someone standing beside her.  
  
Watching her mother staring at Duo, Relena figured that she better do some introducing, "Mother, this is Duo Maxwell. Duo, this is my mother."  
  
Duo looked to Relena in question but turned to look at Mrs. Darlian. So far, things have been very strange, strange enough that he didn't feel so angry. For some reason, being in Relena's house hadn't been too bad so far, although he wasn't liking the way that woman was looking at him. Mrs. Darlian continued to stare at Duo as though he was an annoying insect, which needed to be squashed quickly. Her stares felt as though they were burning straight through him, making Duo feel very uncomfortable, not to mention unwelcomed. Clearing his throat he began to walk up to her, although he was taking notice of her disgust as he approached. Wanting to be polite he held out his hand to her and kindly said, "Hello, it's nice to meet you."  
  
Mrs. Darlian narrowed her eyes on him as he approached; she looked at his hand briefly before glaring back at him again. Standing up from the couch she eyed his long braid critically. Duo wasn't stupid, he knew what she was looking at, and the fact that she seemed to hate him already frustrated him. Was she that paranoid about who she met that she only cared about appearances first? And to think that he was trying to be polite too.  
  
"By the look of your hair," she finally said, pausing for a moment, "I assume that you can't seem to afford a descent hair cut?"  
  
Lowering his hand, Duo bit down on his tongue and kept himself from giving her any negative looks. He had a feeling that she was about to say something like that, but felt strange was the fact that he wasn't being negative at her for the past. Trying to keep a straight face she stared at him for a moment and said, "Don't take it personally but if you can't afford to cut your hair then I would have to assume the worse with your personal hygiene too."   
  
Raising an eyebrow at her, Duo had to restrain himself to not do anything foolish while Relena just narrowed her eyes at her.  
  
Glaring over at Relena now she said, "Really now Relena, why can't you invite descent guests like Quatre? At least he gives a better presentation of himself." With that said she walked out the room without a second glance. Relena had to step out of the way for her as she walked out, knowing that she would run over her if she didn't move herself.  
  
Duo was angry, but more than anything he was really, really confused. From the house to her mother, things were getting really suspicious. Duo felt as though the past which he had been deeply affected by, didn't seem to hang in the air around here? Looking over at Relena he was hoping that maybe she could explain something to him, this was bugging him ever since he saw her house and being inside of it wasn't making things any clearer for him.  
  
Sighing to her self as she watched her mother leave, Relena noticed Duo looking at her in question. Turning to him, she could see confusion written all over his face. She had expected this, which was the reason why she wanted him to visit, not just about their oral presentations, but something which had hurt both Duo and herself long ago, "Duo, there is something I feel that I need to tell you. I'm sure you have noticed it already but maybe it will make some sence if I explain."  
  
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Author's Note: :'-( This chapter made me cry as I was writing this, mainly the bit where Duo and his mum were being beaten. I didn't like what I made Duo go through but that is just the way the story goes :-( And to think that he isn't the only one with a bad past, I will be doing many more incidents based on the other characters with hidden secrets which aren't very pretty. But don't worry, not all of this is going to be depressing, there will be bright, happy moments as well ^_^ Not so much of Relena's past was revealed, but there were some elements within Duo's past which explained a bit about her. Not enough I know :-P but it will all be shown in bits and pieces later, then finally revealed as a whole, just incase if people get a bit confused ^_- Anyway, hope you liked it (even though it wasn't exactly a bright chapter) But not all my chapters are going to be based on happy moments or depressing moments for that matter. Tell me what you think, it would be interesting to hear some opinions on this (To be honest I hated what I made Duo go through but it's something which some unfortunate people go through) I'm just trying to make this realistic, not everyone can be happy and live perfect lives. But anyway, enough rambling, thanks for reading and I will be working on the next chapter ^_^ One which will lighten things up again.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	9. Chapter 9

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Pressing the intercom button of the front gates to the Winner Mansion, Duo gave his name and purpose of visit before the gates gave access for him to enter. He found it quite odd that you had to have everything about you stated before you could even set foot on the property; he was surprised that they didn't have id scans and finger prints taken just to confirm it was you and not some sort of 'imposter'. Looking back at Relena who was behind him he gestured for her to enter before him. As they walked up the path to the front door of the estate, Peter welcomed them with a smile as he held the door open for them, "Good afternoon Duo, Relena. It has been quite a while since your last visit," Peter stated as he closed the door behind them.  
  
"Yeah, there were reasons for that. But anyway, what's Quatre up to?" Duo asked.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Quatre and Miss. Dorothy are having a fencing match together; I will take you to them." As Peter started walking off in the direction to the living room, Relena and Duo looked at each other in question before they followed after him.  
  
As Peter waited by the entrance of the living room, Duo and Relena peered inside and watched in total fascination of what Dorothy and Quatre were doing. Dorothy looked to be dressed in the white fencing outfit that is usually permitted to be worn when dueling but all Quatre had on was the helmet and gloves, other then that he was wearing normal clothing. It looked as if they were about to start their match. Quatre took off his mask and rubbed his gloved hand through his short hair before putting it back on while Dorothy re-adjusted the gloves on her hands more tightly before she positioned herself.  
  
"You see," Peter said in a quiet tone as to not disturb the Winner siblings, "Fencing involves three different weapons, a foil, epee or sabre. The idea in foil is to 'kill' ones opponent so you are only allowed to go for the torso, groin and back areas. Epee is usually fought to 'first blood' rather than to the death. Since it's to 'first blood' you may attack your opponent anywhere on the body, including arms and legs. Now, what Mr. Quatre and Miss. Dorothy are playing with is a saber. With sabre you target anything above the waist and you continue to fight until someone scores five points or until the time runs out."  
  
Dorothy pointed her saber out towards Quatre and remained positioned like that until Quatre was ready. Quatre followed her steps and held his saber out towards her, signifying that he was ready he tapped her blade with his and they began the match. Dorothy swung her saber at him but ended up having it deflecting by Quatre. Defending himself from her shot he took the offensive position and thrusted his blade towards her, just missing Dorothy's right arm. As Dorothy dodged his swipe at her she advanced on him and went to swipe at his neck but Quatre ducked under her attack, leaving Dorothy wide open for him to attack her. Taking this as an advantage Quatre rose up from the ground and followed his saber through to hit Dorothy in the chest but before his saber could make contact with her; she twirled past his attack and followed through to swinging her blade towards Quatre's back. Quatre reacted a little too late to her surprise attack and tried jumping out of the way but as he did so he got swiped across the shoulder, causing his arm to bleed from her attack. Dorothy just smirked and went to advance on him again while Duo and Relena watched in shock as they went to continue dueling again.  
  
"Hey, can't she see that he is wounded, shouldn't they stop?" Duo pointed out.  
  
"No. Not by the rules that they are playing."  
  
Duo just looked at him wide eyed, with the way Quatre's shoulder was swiped at were they going to just stand around and wait until one of them dies?   
  
"They look as though they have been playing for quite some time," Relena stated.  
  
"Yes, their father, use to play this sport when he was a child. It takes concentration, speed, technique and accuracy to play it properly and since he thought so highly of it he wanted his children to learn it as well. They started learning when they were young and Miss. Dorothy still takes the sport seriously, she is one of the top players in her division while Mr. Quatre only learnt it and remained content with that."  
  
'So in other words, Quatre has no hope of winning,' Duo thought to himself.  
  
Quatre and Dorothy swung at each other again, allowing the sound of metal verses metal to chime around the room. Both had their blades against each other, trying to push the other aside but neither one of them was going to back down. Since Quatre had the upper hand when it came to strength he pushed Dorothy aside and thrusted his saber towards her. Dorothy swung her blade up from the ground to the air as she pushed Quatre's weapon out of his hand, allowing her easy access to stab him in the chest. Taking that opportunity she did just that and touched the end of her blade on Quatre's chest, declaring her the victor.   
  
Quatre took off his mask and smiled at Dorothy, "That was great Dorothy; I had no hope of winning." Quatre chuckled a little at the thought of that. He had never taken fencing very seriously so he had no hope against Dorothy, she practiced the sport on a regular basis so the only chance he really had at winning was if she had broken arms.  
  
Dorothy took off her mask and just smirked at him, "Hmph, here I am hoping that you might have practiced up a bit but you seem to just keep getting worse."  
  
"HEY! Have a little more respect than that Dorothy!" Duo yelled as he approached her. Dorothy just raised and eyebrow at him as he approached her while Quatre just stared at him wide eyed, 'Duo? What is he doing here?'  
  
"I think Quatre did a great job against you! Stop treating him like shit for a change!"  
  
"HA! You're one to talk. You haven't hardly talked to him ever since that stupid fight!"  
  
"I-There were reasons for that!"  
  
"How is that any different from this? At least I have a right to say something since the duel was between me and Quatre but since that fight hardly revolved around you two I think YOU are the one who has treating him like shit THANK YOU!"  
  
Relena just watched as Duo and Dorothy started having one of their regular arguments again, she found it odd that they could never get by one another with out arguing about something. Looking over at Quatre she noticed that he was just as clueless as she was with the way Dorothy and Duo kept mouthing off at each other; however his attention didn't stay on them long since the cut on his shoulder wasn't healing anytime soon.  
  
"We need to get that cleaned up," Relena said as she approached him. Quatre just looked at her as he watched her take hold of his shoulder, examining the wound he inflicted from the duel.  
  
"Here is the first aid kit Relena," Peter said as he handed the kit to her. He had left Duo and Relena by the door earlier on to get this for him, however he found it quite disturbing that Quatre had been dueling Dorothy without his fencing outfit, Quatre could have been injured far worse than this.  
  
"Thank you," Relena said as she watched him nod in response and leave the room, but as he was leaving he took a glance over his shoulder and watched as Relena seemed to be playing the part of being Quatre's personal nurse. He couldn't help but smile at that, luckily he had his back towards them so they wouldn't have been able to notice.  
  
"Come sit over here Quatre," Relena insisted as she guided him over to one of the couches in the room. Quatre just looked at her blankly as she did so, it wasn't like he had just broken his leg or anything; it was just a scratch after all. But as he noticed the concern she had in her eyes over him he couldn't help but appreciate what she was doing for him, who was he to complain?   
  
Sitting down on the couch Relena looked over the cut again but suddenly started to blush. Quatre had no idea what that was about, that was until she opened her mouth, "I, um, I will need you to remove your shirt since your cut is on your shoulder." Memories of the earlier encounter they had while he was working out started flooding into his mind again, causing him to blush at that as well. As he began unbuttoning his shirt he didn't fell as uncomfortable as he thought he would by doing this for her, it was probably the fact that she had seen a lot more of him than this so how could this be bad? Relena was busying herself with getting out the things she would need to clean Quatre's cut but she couldn't help but watch him from the corner of her eye. To her disappointment though, Quatre didn't completely remove his top, he only removed the arm which had the cut over it. Shaking her head from those thoughts she scolded herself for thinking such things, although she couldn't deny the fact that Quatre was very handsome, not to mention well built so she was only doing what any other girl would. That was what she was telling herself anyway.  
  
Duo and Dorothy continued to argue for a while longer, Duo happened to get the last word in before she was left speechless. He was about to rub that in before he noticed something flash across her eyes, something which looked like, sadness? Before he could question this, Dorothy turned her back on him and stomped out of the room. She couldn't stand the fact that he always got the better of her, how was he able to do that? She was usually the one to show people up with a good smart arse comment, but she could never keep it up for long when it came to Duo. Lowering her head in defeat once she left the room she felt a flash of anger rush through her for being so uptight about this. Slamming her fist across the wall of the hallway she figured that a shower would help calm her down.   
  
Duo felt content with himself as he showed her up once again, but what ever he saw in her eyes just now concerned him a little. It was only there for a second so he wasn't sure if whether or not his eyes were just playing tricks on him. Brushing it off he turned his gaze to where Quatre and Relena were. He was about to say something to them but kept silent as he watched what they were doing. Quatre had taken one half of his shirt off to allow Relena to clean his cut but as she was busy doing this he looked to be staring at her. Duo couldn't help but smile at that, he could just be watching her treat his cut but Duo noted that his eye level looked to be way above his shoulder. 'Hmm, interesting.'  
  
Quatre had to admit that Relena had change a bit from their first encounter. She was very cold to him in the beginning, although that was mainly his fault since he was trying to pry into her life within five minutes of their meeting. He didn't know what came over him that day, usually he wasn't one to be so rude like that, not only did he pry into Relena's personal life but he also snapped at her mother. Since then he had been determined to try and understand her better, no matter how much she would try to brush him off. Why did he do that though? If she didn't want him around, why did he continue to pursue her like he did? Duo was right about the fact that socializing with her meant trouble; he could already tell that he has made good enemies with Heero and his group, not to mention that it had led him to fighting against Duo and his group as well. He didn't feel as though it was such a big loss though, her putting up with him now was indeed an achievement and he couldn't help but feel content enough with that. What he wouldn't give to see her smile though, the only thing he ever saw close to a smile was when her father introduced him to her, although that was just out of politeness, the smile didn't reach her eyes at all. She always worse black as well which made him question that when ever he saw her. Even now he noticed that she was wearing a black leather jacket with a black, high necked top and black flare pants. He didn't have a problem with the colour or anything, but seeing her in it constantly was some what strange to him. When he had first met her too, she was wearing black and grey. Duo wore black all the time but he claimed to say that it was like his trade mark, not to mention his favourite colour. But in Quatre's opinion, Relena suited soft colours like baby blue, pink, yellow or purple, or even white, those colours contrasted with her aquamarine eyes and, in his opinion, would make her stand out more.  
  
Once Relena had finished bandaging up his wound she looked up at him and said, "Alright, it's finished now."  
  
As she rose up from the ground Quatre just smiled at her and said, "Thank you," but continued to stare at her, he didn't care to look at the job Relena had done on his shoulder, much to Duo's notice. Relena nodded to him but suddenly grew a bit confused with the way he was watching her. Opening her mouth to say something, nothing seemed to come out; instead she seemed to follow his example and started staring at him, much to Duo's surprise.   
  
They continued to do this for a while before Duo decided to clear his throat, just to alert them that they weren't alone. This caused the both of them to turn their heads away from each other in a flash, not to mention that it awarded them with bright red faces.  
  
"Well," Duo started as he looked between the both of them smiling, "Might as well state the reason why we are here, huh Relena?"  
  
Relena looked over to Duo and nodded as she moved away from Quatre and sat herself down on one of the couches. Quatre put his arm back through his sleeve but kept his top unbuttoned since he would have to have a shower soon anyway. He was actually anxious to find out why they were here, and more importantly why Duo was talking to him, plus coming over with Relena, of all people.  
  
"Ok, well we came to invite you over to Hilde's hockey match!" Duo announced, causing Quatre to just stare at him blankly, "Didn't you know she was playing today against Hoshi no Manazashi High School (H.M.H)? It should be a good match, so everyone is going over to watch for support. That means no more reading books or studying for you tonight pal!" Duo teased as he winked at him.   
  
Quatre continued to just stare at him blankly; he was expecting an explanation over their issues first before anything like this. 'Well, he must have sorted himself out with Miss Relena now I guess.' As much as he would like to know the reason for it he decided to not ask any questions on it, the matter involved Relena and Duo after all so it wasn't to concern him.  
  
Duo was very much aware of the way Quatre was watching him, he looked shocked by his invitation but seemed to accept it anyway. He knew that he would have to explain himself soon but for now, he was content enough to try and have a good time with all his friends, including Quatre. He had been very dark towards him and everyone else at that, so his goal tonight was to make people smile again and show that he was back to normal again.  
  
"Well come on Quatre! Don't just sit there, get yourself ready ok? We will wait."  
  
With that said, Quatre got up from his seat and smiled sheepishly at him, "Oh yeah, um, I won't try to take long." Just as he was about to leave he looked over his shoulder at him and said, "Please make yourselves comfortable, I will get Clare to serve you both something to eat and drink ok?"  
  
Duo's eyes brightened at the sound of that and smiled widely at him, causing Quatre to chuckle a little at the sight of him before walking out. Relena's eyes softened as she watched Duo and Quatre converse with each other, she was glad to see that their friendship might not be such a hard thing to mend up after all. Duo hadn't even said anything about their visit yet and already, they were acting like best friends again, "Um Duo? Why didn't you explain to Quatre why you have suddenly forgiven him? He deserves to know doesn't he?"  
  
Duo turned his gaze to her and smiled, "Of course he does, but for now, I think the best thing for us to do is to just hang out and forget our problems for a change. Since I am talking to him now, not to mention showing him that I am talking to you as well, I think he understands that I have forgiven him. Not to mention that he has forgiven me too, much to my relief." Relena nodded her understanding and lowered her gaze to the ground. Duo watched as she did this and walked up to her, sitting him self down on the right arm rest beside her. As they sat in silence for a while, Duo broke the silence between them and suddenly stated, "It helps to talk to him you know." Relena jumped with surprise when he said this and looked up at him. He had his gaze to the ground when he had said that and continued, "He helped me understand things clearer, not to mention that I have learned to cope with everything now. I admit that it still eats away at me from time to time, but that's only normal right? With me talking to you now, it has helped me confront what was affecting me and, I think maybe you should talk to him too."  
  
Relena could understand what he was trying to say but she shook her head in response, "Duo, I appreciate what you are saying but there is still a lot about me that you don't know. What I told you was only one aspect of it and I don't think that even Quatre could help me. I don't want to burden him with my problems; it's something which I have to deal with on my own. He hasn't gone through what I have so, how could he understand? But I thank you for comforting me though, I'm sorry for breaking down like I did."  
  
Duo gave her a little smile and wrapped his arm over her shoulders, "I'm sorry that I couldn't have done anything more, but I'm glad I helped anyway. I still stand by what I believe and that maybe you should talk to someone, preferably him, but you will realize that soon enough. I was just as stubborn about my past as well, but what I find strange about him is the fact that he always seems so understanding you know. Like he can feel your pain or something... Maybe it's just me but it still makes me wonder about him. But getting back to the point, Quatre seems to understand people even without experiencing what ever they went though. How would I know? Well I don't think Quatre's father has committed suicide the last time I checked."  
  
Relena just remained silent at that, she could tell that he was only joking with that last comment but she didn't find suicide being a joke. She agreed with him over that factor about Quatre though, she had noticed on a few occasions where he seemed to look within your soul or something and just instantly felt what you did, like he had some sort of gift. It was when he got the chance to look into your eyes, that waas what she determined anyway.  
  
At that moment Clare, one of the maids of the Winner household came in and smiled her greeting at them, "Good afternoon, I brought you both some assorted biscuits and some coke. I would serve you tea but I'm sure you would prefer soft drink huh?"  
  
Duo was up in an instant once she placed the tray down before them; Duo thanked the lady and began digging in. Clare looked at him with shock over the way he was eating but smiled and made her way out the room. Relena just sat and watched as Duo stuffed biscuits down his throat as though he hadn't eaten for days. Swallowing one load down his mouth Duo smiled up at her and offered her some. Saying her thanks but claiming that she wasn't hungry caused Duo to look at her as though she were crazy but began to dig in again, who was he to complain that he was getting more for himself?  
  
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Whacking the puck from the opposition, Hilde dashed across the ice as she twirled and dodged her way past the H.M.H players coming her way. But as she approached the goals she was suddenly pushed aside by an unexpected player. Meiran took possession of the puck and skimmed it across the ice and scored a goal for the team. Smirking at Hilde she raised her arms over her head as the crowd cheered. Tooi Yoake High's senior female ice hockey team were the number one team in the league, Meiran was the captain of the side and played as center while Hilde played as an attacker on the right wing. Both Meiran and Hilde were the top players on their team but both had a serious problem with each other.   
  
Meiran looked out towards the crowd and smiled when she spotted Sylvia's and Heero's group in the crowd. She waved hysterically at them but kept her eyes focused on a specific someone in-between Wufei and Heero. Hilde glared at her for stealing the puck away from her but was determined to show her up for that. Not to mention pay her back for making her look like a fool to her secret love.   
  
As the opposition started making their way towards T.Y.H's goals, a player from their side intercepted it from them and made their way back to the other side of the rink. "Pass it here!" Hilde called out to the player as she dashed ahead, waiting for the pass. But as the girl hit the puck towards her; Meiran came between them and took possession of the puck once more. Hilde was not about to have Meiran show her up again this time though.   
  
As Meiran skimmed past the H.M.H players she glided her way towards the goals. Being too over confident with herself she didn't noticed someone come up behind her. The player knocked Meiran out of the way but just as they were about to take the puck, Hilde dashed towards them and ran the player over, allowing Hilde to take the puck and score for their team once more. Everyone cheered once again as T.Y.H scored. Meiran got up from the ice and narrowed her gaze at her but Hilde wasn't paying any attention, instead she looked out at the crowd and saw Duo and everyone else cheering her on. Smiling at them she waved her hockey stick at them but then she turned her gaze to the other side of the stadium and smiled at a particular someone in the crowd. The same person Meiran waved at earlier.  
  
A couple of minutes later the siren went off and declared it the end of the second period. As everyone went to where the coach waited for them, Hilde and Meiran glared at each other as they listened in.   
  
Tucking a few strands of reddish/brown curly hair behind her ear, their coach started going through the things she needed to cover with the team. Her blue eyes eyed each player but she sighed in annoyance when she noticed Meiran and Hilde having one of their little staring competitions again. She wanted to laugh at the fact that they always wanted to show each other up just for attention from a certain someone. How did she know this? Well he just happened to be related her, not to mention they always asked questions about him. She knew how well they played when ever 'he' was around, so she made sure to make the person come with her to each match they played. Hey, if it made them play to the best of their capabilities, who was she to complain? But what annoyed her most about Meiran and Hilde was the fact that neither of them cared if they 'both' got sent to the penalty box, leaving their team two players short, not to mention that they were the best players on the side. 'They better not be sure to do that tonight, other wise no more visits from their little crush.'  
  
As a few people started getting up to either head to the toilets or get something to eat from the kiosk Duo rose up from his seat and stretched his arms over his head, "You know," he started, "I feel like something to eat, does anyone else feel the same?"  
  
Mariemaia brightened at the sound of food and shrieked loudly, "OH YES! I'm starving!" Her loud voice caused Alex and Mueller to rub at their ears from the loud ringing in their heads. Duo smiled and asked what she wanted. Nodding to her once she gave him her list of lollies, soft drink and potato chips Duo was about to leave but looked over at Quatre and Relena. Smiling at them he handed Quatre the money and said, "Hey Quatre, mind if you could get us something to eat?"   
  
Quatre just looked at him in question before he slowly took the money, "But this is my first time here, I don't know where to go."  
  
Mariemaia was about to volunteer to take him but Duo beat her to it and said, "I'm sure Relena would be willing enough to take you."  
  
Hearing her name being mentioned she looked over at Duo and noticed him grinning widely at her. The way he was smiling at her instantly told her that he was up to something, she had no idea what though.  
  
Brushing it off though, she got up from her seat and said to Quatre, "Alright, shall we go before the next period starts?" Quatre nodded his agreement as they both started making their way past the rows of seats. Once they were out of sight, Duo just smiled to him self and relaxed into his seat, not noticing the three pairs of eyes looking at him in confusion.  
  
When Quatre and Relena made it to the kiosk, there looked to be a bit of a line up so their turn wouldn't be for a while. To pass the time, Quatre tried making conversation with her.  
  
"Do you come and watch our team play often?"  
  
Pausing for a moment Relena stated, "Um, you could say that I used to."  
  
"Did you start getting bored of the sport?" Quatre asked in curiosity.  
  
"You could say that I mainly came just to, um, keep the peace between certain people."  
  
Quatre just looked at her in question when she said this. He was about to ask why that was but he noticed that it was his turn to be served. As he started ordering what Duo and Mariemaia wanted, Relena stood beside him and looked about the place. It had been a while since she last came here but in all honesty she didn't miss it, not with the memories it left her. But she had to admit that it was a lot better being in the company of Quatre and his friends then the other group she 'use' to be with. When she came to sit with everyone in Duo's group when they arrived here, she noticed their surprised glances at her, knowing full well who she was. She felt really uncomfortable at that and was about to consider leaving but ended up being welcomed with open arms, much to her astonishment. She was expecting the total opposite from that but felt relieved that they were being so nice to her. Even as she sat by and watched the way all of them conversed with each other and loudly cheer Hilde on she admired the friendship they shared, what she wouldn't give to have the same.  
  
Once Quatre got their orders he had to use both of his arms to hold all the food, he still couldn't understand how Duo could eat so much; even Mariemaia had her moments when it came to junk food.   
  
"Ok, shall we go?" Quatre asked as he looked over to Relena. She nodded her agreement and went to help Quatre with the food but Quatre stated that he was fine.  
  
"I don't mind helping, I might as well make myself useful," she stated as she tried again at trying to carry something. It looked quite rude for her to leave Quatre struggling with everything while she just stood by him with nothing at all.  
  
Quatre was about to decline the offer again but once he saw her eyes pleading for her to help he sighed in defeat and gave her a few things to carry. Of course he still carried the majority amount of the food since he only found it right that he should hold on to it.  
  
"Oh my, is that you Relena?" A feminine voice said behind them.   
  
As Relena and Quatre turned to face the person who recognized Relena, Quatre noticed that the woman behind him was also in company of Heero.  
  
"Oh, hello Lucrezia. Nice to see you again," Relena said as she turned to look at Heero, "Nice to see you too Heero."  
  
Heero nodded to her while Lucrezia smiled and turned her gaze to Quatre. Examining him from head to toe, her grin widened as she approached him. Quatre began to grow a little nervous with the way she was approaching him, not to mention with the way she was staring at him. Holding out her hand to him she kindly said, "Hello there, my name is Lucrezia Noin."  
  
Quatre nodded at her and juggled the food he was carrying to sit in his left arm while he shook her hand with his right, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Lucrezia, my name is Quatre Raberba Winner." As he shook her hand he noticed that Lucrezia was a very tall woman. She looked to be exactly the same height as Heero and himself. She had purplish/blackish hair with the same coloured eyes. Her hair was short at the back but was fairly long at the front since it went over one of her eyes in length; the style was a little similar to his father's. She was wearing a creamy coloured jacket which went down to mid thigh in length and wore a tight white t-shirt underneath with blue jeans. She seemed very friendly, very different from the way he had met Heero. But what puzzled him the most though was the way Heero's arm hung loosely around her waist, were they together or something?  
  
Heero just glared at him as he watched the way he was talking with her. Lucrezia on the other hand couldn't stop smiling at him, "Oooo such polite manners. You could learn a thing or two from him Heero," she said in a teasing way. Heero's glare went from Quatre to her when she stated that, much to her amusement. Releasing her hand from Quatre she winked at Relena and said, "He's wonderful Relena, when did you two start going out?" Relena's eyes widened when she said that, not to mention it made her face redden. Quatre just looked at Lucrezia blankly, thinking that she was asking what time they usually went out with their friends, which to him didn't make any sense at all. Heero on the other hand looked at Lucrezia with a blank expression; he was hoping that she was only joking when she said that.  
  
"U-Um, no y-you've got it all wrong, Q-Quatre is just my friend," Relena stuttered to say, feeling her cheeks burn. Lucrezia just raised an eyebrow at her and looked to see Quatre's reaction at that.   
  
Quatre was looking at Relena with concern in his expression, with Relena's red face he was beginning to wonder if she was developing a fever or something.  
  
Heero was the one who felt about ready to be sick. How could she think that Quatre and Relena were together? And how could she down grade him to Quatre's standards like that? Of all people, why him? He had lost his appetite now, no thanks to her and now he had the anxiety to leave, immediately. However, before he did so, there was something he needed to sort out first.  
  
"Relena, can I talk to you?" Heero asked all of a sudden. Relena looked up at him and noticed his gaze on her, silently insisting for her to agree with him. She didn't feel quite up to talking to him at the moment but she knew that he wasn't going to back down even if she said no. Hesitating at first, she figured that the sooner she allowed him to talk to her, the quicker she could go back with Quatre. Nodding in response to his question, Heero walked up to her and raised his hand to rest on her back as he guided her away from Lucrezia and Quatre, "Go back to the others Lu, I will be up there shortly."  
  
Lucrezia nodded her understanding to him and faced Quatre again, "Well it was nice meeting you Quatre. It looks as if he will be talking to her for a while so you better get back to your seat since the next period would be about ready to start now."  
  
"Yes, I will be sure to do that. By the way, it was nice meeting you Miss Lucrezia, I hope to see you again sometime," Quatre said smiling at her.  
  
"Yes I would like that." Before walking away from him though she turned her gaze towards him once more and said, "Don't worry Quatre, Heero will not do anything to hurt Relena." With that said she waved her good byes to him and began walking away. Once she was out of sight, Quatre turned to notice Heero and Relena still talking to each other in the distance. What ever Heero was saying to Relena was beginning to depress her in some way. Quatre couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger flow through him at the sight of that. He noticed Heero raise his arm up to her shoulder too, causing Quatre to narrow his eyes on him. Why was he feeling like this? Heero was only talking to her, why was he making such a big deal out of it? Taking Lucrezia's advice he began to make his way back to Duo and the others, although he couldn't help but look back at them every now and then, hoping that maybe they would finish talking soon.  
  
Duo was beginning to wonder just how long Quatre and Relena were planning to take, the game had already started again and he was getting really hungry. Within Duo's twisted mind he was beginning to wonder if Quatre and Relena were up to more things then just 'getting food'. Suddenly noticed a stack of food being handed down past him as it was given to Mariemaia. Looking to his right, he noticed that Quatre had given her the food and watched as he sat roughly sat back in his seat, not saying a word when he was seated.  
  
"Hey, where is my food?" Duo enquired. He suddenly noticed a flash of anger run through Quatre's eyes when he asked this.  
  
Trying to keep his anger at a minimal, Quatre took a deep breath and tried calming down a bit before he answered Duo's question, "Miss Relena has it. She is, talking to Heero at the moment."  
  
Duo just raised an eyebrow at him, couldn't Quatre have taken the food Relena had with him so that he wouldn't have to starve like this. Looking over at Mariemaia he noticed her proudly stuff her face with some potato chips, 'God, those chips look good.' He hoped Relena would be here soon; hearing Mariemaia munch on those chips wasn't easing his hunger down one bit. However, what concerned him was the way Quatre was acting; he looked annoyed or frustrated over something.  
  
"Duo, do you know a woman named Lucrezia Noin?" Quatre suddenly asked.  
  
"Err yeah, well use to anyway. She use to go to our school, that was until she graduated and started university. She's Heero's girlfriend," Duo explained, noticing Quatre's eyes go wide eyed with that last bit of information. Quatre had to admit that Lucrezia looked a little older than Heero but for some reason he thought that she was a relative of his or something. Sighing in relief he relaxed into his chair a little more, he didn't feel as tense as he was before for some strange reason, 'Hang on, if Heero has a girl friend, what does that make Relena?' Quatre always assumed that maybe Heero was pursuing her since he thought that he wanted her for himself, but if that wasn't the case then what was it about?  
  
Noticing the way Quatre eased a little with that information, Duo just raised and eyebrow at him again and said, "I think jealousy is getting the better of you Quatre."  
  
Turning to Duo, he just looked at him blankly and said, "What do you mean by that?"  
  
Staring at him for a while, just to see if whether or not Quatre was just toying with him, Duo noticed that Quatre really didn't have any idea what he was talking about. Sighing to himself, Duo shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it," and went back to watching the game. He was beginning to wonder how Quatre calculated some of these emotions within that thick mind of his. If Quatre couldn't tell that he was jealous then Duo would have to assume that he would have no idea what love is either. Smiling at that, Duo figured that he might have to test that out for himself sometime.  
  
Quatre tried watching the game but his gaze always drifted at the entrance to where people would come through to find their seats, he was anxious to see Relena again, hoping that she would be alright since she looked pretty upset while talking to Heero.   
  
As the game went on, Quatre started looking over to the other side of the stadium; he couldn't believe how popular ice hockey was since there were so many people here to watch it. Looking about the crowd and noticed Sylvia's and Heero's group around the middle of that seating area. Sylvia was sitting with Midii while Trowa was separated from them by a vacant seat and by him was Lucrezia and...Heero? Quatre's eyes widened at that. How long had Heero been sitting there? And where was Relena?  
  
Quatre got up from his seat and was about to leave before Duo suddenly asked, "Hey, where are you going? The game is almost over."  
  
"Miss Relena hasn't come back yet, I'm going to go look for her," Quatre said as he quickly made his way past the people sitting in their row. Duo was a little worried as well, but figured that Quatre will be alright on his own. Heero was never one to talk a lot so something must be up if she wasn't back yet. Looking down at his watch he noticed that there was only a few minutes left of the match, if Quatre wasn't back before then with Relena than he knew that there would have to be heavy interrogations made with Heero, whether if it was verbally or physically.  
  
Quatre quickly made his way down to the kiosk area to where he last left Heero and Relena. Looking about the place he noticed that no one looked to be around. Walking around for a bit he noticed that it was very quiet; hardly anyone was around since everyone would be up watching the game. This was not good at all, where was she? He was beginning to panic now; he had almost walked around in a full circle from where he had begun his search but before he made his way back to where the entrance of this place was he faintly heard some sobbing. Taking this as a sign that it could possibly be Relena he followed the sounds of the person crying as best as he could, leading him to the toilet area.   
  
As he turned the corner to where the men's and women's toilets would be he was shocked to see Relena standing against the wall, quietly sobbing to herself as she looked to be hugging herself. Quatre quickly went over to her and gently took hold of her shoulder, causing her to jump at the sudden contact. She was about to panic before she noticed a pair of gentle blue/green eyes look at her with shock and concern.  
  
"Miss Relena? What happened?" Quatre asked but instead of getting an answer she began to cry harder, "Miss Relena..." He couldn't stand seeing her like this; she looked so helpless and looked to be under a lot of pain. Watching her in such a state was stabbing its way into Quatre's heart, causing him to feel her pain as well. She didn't look to be in any condition to talk so instead he slowly started making his way closer to her. She didn't seem to notice him until he gently put his hands over her arms.  
  
"Ow..." Relena voiced out when she felt Quatre touch her. Quatre quickly removed his hands from her but looked at her with even more concern, "Miss Relena, are you injured?" Relena didn't answer; instead she folded her arms behind her back and continued to cry. Quatre didn't mean to cause her more pain, he wanted to check her arms just to make sure that Heero didn't do anything too severe on her, but he wouldn't dare to while she was in this condition. Raising his hands up to her once more he gently rested them on her shoulders, thankful that at least she hadn't been hurt there. Relena looked up at him with teary eyes when she felt his hands over her but suddenly felt her self being drawn into his chest. Quatre had wrapped his arms around her back, gently rubbing his hand over her in a way to help comfort her. She was shocked at first by the sudden contact but after a few moments she calmed down a little and rested her head on Quatre's chest, sobbing quietly on his blue jacket. Quatre was relieved to feel her settle down a little but he was beginning to feel a mix of emotions over this. One: He was very upset to see Relena in such a state. Two: He cursed himself for leaving her alone like he did. Three: He was going to murder Heero for doing this to her.   
  
********************************  
  
Duo waited by the counter of the cafeteria as he and Hilde silently waited for the food they ordered. After Hilde's match, they were planning on eating dinner out together as a group, not to mention do a bit of recreational ice skating. But when Quatre finally came back with Relena in his arms, everyone grew very concerned for her and thought about canceling their plans for tonight. She didn't want to be the one to ruin their plans and still wanted to go out with them, going home in such a state was the last thing she needed at the moment.  
  
"Duo, do you know what happened to Relena?" Hilde softly asked.  
  
"I don't know, even Quatre doesn't know," Duo answered. After a few moments his expression hardened and said, "Although, Quatre told me earlier on that she was talking with Heero. I bet he was the one who did this to her, the fricken bastard." Hilde was shocked to hear such words coming out of Duo's mouth. It had nothing to do with his language; it was the fact that he was actually standing up for Relena! She couldn't hide the shock from her face when she saw her with everyone else earlier on before the match started. She was however, happy that Duo was beginning to turn back to his original self again, not to mention that it looked as though they were friends with Quatre again, plus it has brought them a new friend too! 'Why couldn't things go right for a change?'   
  
Their orders were all finally done as she thought this. The person serving them behind the counter served their food on three separate trays for them to take over to one of the tables. Duo took hold of two while Hilde carried the other to the table where everyone was waiting. Relena had stopped crying on the way to The Ice Arena but still remained depressed. Nobody spoke as they all began to silently eat their burgers and fries. This continued on, even as each of them began finishing off their meals. Duo couldn't take anymore of this; the silence that was stretching out around them was beginning to get very uncomfortable. Rising up from his seat, Duo grabbed hold of Relena's hand, causing her to jump in surprise, not to mention surprise everyone around the table.  
  
"Come on Relena, let's go skating, that's what we came to do after all," Duo said, smiling at her. He figured that the only way he could cheer her up was to get her doing things so that she couldn't think, if she didn't want to talk about what happened than this was all he could do for her. As he guided her over to a bench beside the ice rink, Relena was beginning to feel a little nervous about this. Duo got up from his seat beside her once he got his skates on and held out his hand to her. Looking at his hand briefly she looked up at him with a saddened expression and said, "Duo, I can't do this. I have never skated before."  
  
"Don't worry; I will teach you. Trust me on this; I use to play ice hockey like Hilde a couple of years ago so I know what to do." She wasn't convinced, looking out at everyone on the ice, she noticed how everyone looked to be like professionals. The way they glided over the ice with ease was beginning to disturb her. She would look stupid out there slipping all over the place all the time. Duo wasn't about to let her back out though. Grabbing hold of both her hands he dragged her with him out onto the ice.  
  
"Ah! Duo!" Relena yelled at him and she slipped and stumbled around a bit before she fell onto her knees. Pulling her up off the ground Duo continued to hold her hands and said, "Relax Relena, you're going to keep slipping around if you don't stand still. Now, here is what you do. Keep your feet at shoulder length apart, like this. Then from here on out, you basically do a sort of leap and walk motion to get yourself moving. Come on let's give it a shot." Duo wrapped one arm around her waist and started to move, keeping her by his side as he did so. Trying to follow his movements, Relena watched the way Duo glided across the ice; she continued to slip and stumble around a few times but Duo was there to keep her standing.  
  
Everyone watched as Duo taught Relena how to skate, as frightened as she looked out there, it seemed to have gotten her mind off from her troubles, much to Quatre's relief.  
  
"Well I'm not going to just stand around and watch them two skate, come on you guys, let's go!" Hilde gestured to them as she made her way over to the benches to get her skates on; everyone nodded their agreement and went after her to do the same. Hilde stepped onto the ice and glided across it as though she were walking on air; she had been skating ever since she was six so she had the most experience between the whole group at this sort of thing. Duo had learned to skate when he use to play ice hockey like her, but he had to eventually quit since his part time job and studies were beginning to get in the way. Mueller had played ice hockey long with Duo during their junior years of high school so he was pretty confident on the ice as well. As he stepped onto the ice he waited as Mariemaia stared down at it wide eyed, she watched others do this and at the beginning it didn't look so hard, but now that she was staring down at it, she had a feeling that she would sink right through it once she stepped onto it.  
  
"Come on Marie, I'm right here so don't worry," Mueller said as he took hold of her hand. As he guided her onto the ice though, he wasn't expecting her to suddenly slip backwards. She squealed and tightened her hold on his hand, causing him to topple over on top of her. Pushing him off her she cursed him for not rescuing her like he should have, he just smirked at her clumsiness but remained silent as he got them both off the ground, "Ok, let's try that again." Following Duo's steps with Relena he wrapped his arm around her waist and showed her what to do before he started moving. Alex wasn't use to ice skating but he was really into roller blading so he figured that this should be a piece of cake. His over confidence got the better of him though as he stepped onto the ice, slipped around a bit, then landed straight onto his butt, "Ow, geez that hurt." Quatre had no experience when it came to skating at all. He was a beginner just like Relena and Mariemaia so he was a little nervous about this. Instead off trying to glide across the ice like everyone else, Quatre took hold of the railing long the side of the rink and began to make his way along the ice, using the railing to support him. He figured that if he used this first, then maybe he would get a better feel at how you were suppose to balance.  
  
"Hey Quatre!" Hilde greeted, surprising him as she did so. Turning to face her a little too quickly he slipped and landed on his hip when he made contact with the ice.  
  
"Hehe, I assume you haven't done this before?" Hilde asked him as she helped him up.  
  
"Haha, yes you could say that. I'm finding it quite interesting but a little hard at the same time," Quatre sheepishly replied.  
  
"Ok, let me help you out," Hilde said as she took hold of his hand. Pushing the blade of her skates across the ice she started getting them in a reasonable pace. She was surprised to notice that Quatre hadn't slipped over yet, causing her to smile at him, "Wow Quatre, you might be a natural at this."  
  
That comment caused him to chuckle at her, "I wouldn't go that far, balancing isn't too hard, it's the moving which I can't master." Hilde laughed and agreed with him on that one.   
  
As she explained how to get yourself gliding across the ice properly, Mueller was having a hard time trying to get Mariemaia to stand let alone move.  
  
"Come on Marie, I showed you how to stand already. If you don't keep your feet firmly placed on the ice then of course you won't be able to maintain balance for long."  
  
"Oh thanks, you are making me feel a lot better. Do I look as though I'm ENJOYING the way I keep landing on my butt every five seconds?" Rubbing her behind as she got off the ground once again she added, "Ow, by the time this is over, I won't be able to sit for a week."  
  
Mueller couldn't help but laugh at that. Alex came up to them at that moment, he picked up how to ice skate pretty quickly, at the cost of him falling over a few times but it was worth it in the end. Taking hold of Mariemaia's other hand he decided to help Mueller out a little since he looked pretty stressed out trying to teach her how to stand on ice.  
  
"See? You're getting it Relena," Duo stated as he held onto her hand instead of her waist. She was getting the idea on how to balance so now he was trying to give her more confidence by standing on her own. She had no problems so far so he thought to be a little more daring and held her out arms length apart from each other. She was a little nervous about his actions at first but he continued to hold onto her hand, just in case. Noticing that she was still doing fine, he stretched the limits a little by picking up the pace a bit, just a bit at a time so that he wouldn't startle her.  
  
"Ok Quatre, try on your own now," Hilde said as she slowly let go of his hand. Quatre glided a long the ice with no problems at first, but Hilde's smile slowly disappeared as her eyes started to widen, "Quatre! Look out that-" It was all well and good that Quatre could skate now, although Hilde forgot to teach him how to stop. She watched as he tried to stop himself but it resulted in him slipping over and hitting his head against the wall. Hilde couldn't help but giggle at the sight of that but as she was about to go over to help him, she was surprised to see how well Relena was doing with Duo.  
  
Duo figured that she was confident enough to try on her own now, not only did he hold her at arms length apart, he had increased his speed a bit and noticed that she had been able to keep up with no problems, "Alright Relena, this is your chance to prove yourself now."  
  
Looking over at him in question she noticed that he was grinning at her, 'Oh no...'   
  
"Wait! Duo! I can't do this on my own!" Relena complained.  
  
"Sure you can, you haven't slipped over for a while now so I think you can handle it, just be sure to relax ok? In the count of three ok? One..."  
  
There was no that she was going to do this on her own. And with him counting like this, it was beginning to make her nervous all over again. Tightening her grip on his hand, Relena pleaded with him and begged, "No, please wait Duo, I'm not ready yet."  
  
"Two..."  
  
"NO, DON'T! I CAN'T, DON'T LET GO!"  
  
Duo was loving every moment of this. Increasing their speed once more he added, "Speed usually helps you maintain balance so if you keep moving you shouldn't fall ok?" Noticing the look on her face he winked at her and removed his hand from hers but quickly grabbed her by the wrist, "You won't die ok Relena?" No matter how much she pleaded and begged for him to not let her go, he didn't seem to take pity on her but continued to grin instead. Bringing his arm back a little he winked at Relena's shocked expression and yelled, "THREE!" At that moment he swung her forward and let her go, watching in curiosity at how long she would stand. He was taught how to skate this way so he wasn't trying to pick on her or anything, it did work, but he couldn't deny that it was fun to watch as well.   
  
Hilde came up to him at that moment, smiling at her he said, "Hey there, how did your teachings go?"  
  
Smiling at him she shrugged and said, "It went well, he can balance and skate fine. But there was one thing I forgot to teach him, and that was how to stop."  
  
Once she said this, Duo went wide eyed at her, "Oh shit..." How could he forget to teach Relena how to stop!? She was going at a very fast pace and she could hurt herself if she collided with anyone. Watching her in the distance he noticed that she was drawing closer and closer to the wall on the other side. Getting his skates in action he started to dart his way towards her, hoping that he could reach her before she got hurt. Hilde was just as worried and followed as well. Since she had been doing this a lot longer than him she caught up with no problems and started increasing her speed even more to try and reach Relena.  
  
Relena shrieked as she continued to glide across the ice. She wanted to stop but she didn't want to fall over in order to do so. It was fortunate enough for her that anyone who was in her path gladly moved away as she passed them. With the way she had her arms swinging about her and the way she was shrieking was alerting everyone to move out of the way. If things couldn't get any worse, she noticed that her run way was beginning to come to an end since the wall was coming up closer and closer to her. 'Oh no,' Relena said to herself as she noticed someone getting up from the ice, grabbing hold of the railing by the wall to help them up. They were 'right' in the way of her and if they didn't move away soon she would collide straight into them, "Look out!!!" Relena called out to them.  
  
Quatre just got himself off the ground before he suddenly heard someone shouting at him. Not wanting to pull another stunt like he did earlier when Hilde had called out to him he took hold of the railing and slowly turned to face his back against the wall. But at that moment he suddenly noticed Relena heading towards him at a very fast pace. Now, usually logic would tell him at this moment that the best thing to do in this sort of situation would be to move out of the way, but he couldn't bring himself to since he knew Relena would get hurt if he did so. Taking another opinion he used the wall to push himself towards Relena in a fast pace.  
  
Duo and Hilde stopped as they watched what Quatre was about to do, they had no hope of reaching Relena in time so they hoped that what ever Quatre was doing will help her. Noticing that the person that she was about to hit into was Quatre, Relena started to panic, did he want to get hurt or something, since she noticed him coming towards her instead of away from her. She was content enough to just slam into the wall and hope for the best but she didn't want to hurt anyone along with her. Closing her eyes she hoped that Quatre would move out of the way and allow her to hit the wall. Quatre on the other hand wasn't about to let Relena hit into the wall. Holding his arms out to her, he grabbed hold of her tightly as they collided together. The force he pushed himself at from the wall as stronger then the pace Relena was going at so this was causing him to fall forward. Before he was to allow himself to fall on top of Relena he twisted his body and allowed himself to hit the ground first, along with Relena collapsing on top of him.  
  
Mariemaia, Alex and Mueller had just watched this little incident and quickly went over to them to see if they were all right. However, the effort to get to them was another story since Mariemaia 'still' couldn't stand on the ice. Mueller and Alex grew that frustrated that they decided to just drag her with them as they headed for Quatre and Relena, much to Mariemaia's annoyance. Hilde quickly made her way over to them as well, while Duo just smirked and followed casually after them.  
  
Quatre opened his eyes and blinked a few times before his eyes rested on Relena's head. Her face was pressed against his chest so he couldn't tell if she was alright or not. Slowly getting himself into sitting position he kept his arms around Relena and grew concerned with the way she hadn't raised her head up yet.  
  
"Relena! Quatre! Are you two ok?" Alex asked as he, Mueller, Mariemaia and Hilde came up to them.  
  
"I'm alright," Quatre stated, "But..." Tapping Relena on the shoulder to ask if she was alright, Quatre began to feel her shaking. He grew really concerned now. Taking her by the shoulders he lifted her up from his chest and was about to apologize for hurting her but what he saw caused him to stop breathing. Relena was alright, much to his relief but out of every reaction he was expecting her to have over that little incident, he wasn't expecting to see her, laughing? Her shaking on his chest wasn't her sobbing or anything; it was her trying to keep in her laughter. Relena couldn't hold it in anymore, looking at Quatre's blank expression she began to laugh hysterically.   
  
Hilde, Mariemaia, Mueller and Alex were beginning to wonder if she had just suddenly gone crazy. Quatre on the other hand couldn't believe what he was seeing. Relena was laughing!? This has been the first time that he had ever seen her happy, he was always hoping for her to smile some day but it looked as though that today, he had been awarded with laughter instead. Duo came up to them at that moment and began to laugh along with her, causing everyone to look at him in question as well.  
  
"Haha, wow Quatre that has got to be one of the best stunts I have EVER seen you pull," Duo said between chuckles. Quatre couldn't help but blush at that, but more importantly, "Miss Relena? Are you ok?"  
  
Relena tried to keep her hysterical laughter down to a minimal as she wiped a tear away from her eye, "Hehe of course! I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Looking up at Duo she said, "I need to repay you sometime for that little excitement you had just put me through too."  
  
Duo stopped his laughter at that moment and winked at her, "Hey no prob! I'm glad that you aren't angry at me for not teaching you how to stop before I threw you like that." He was hoping that the way she was laughing had showed signs that maybe she wasn't out to kill him just yet, but with the way she was smiling at him with that evil glint in her eyes, he had a feeling that she hadn't forgotten about that at all.  
  
Turning her gaze to everyone else she added, "I thank you all so much for what you have done for me today. I enjoyed watching you play Hilde, and I'm sorry for breaking down like I did too. I know how much you all wanted to have a good time tonight and, I seemed to have spoiled it huh?"  
  
"What!" Mariemaia shrieked, "You haven't spoiled anything Relena! Don't be so hard on yourself."  
  
"That's right," Hilde added, "Friends are always there for each other, during the good times and the bad. You haven't done anything wrong since you got a little upset. Fun and games can always come later but what is more important is the well being of the people that we care about first."  
  
Relena couldn't help but allow a few tears to fall from her eyes at that. She was shocked to hear Hilde say such a thing to her, they considered her their friend, they accepted her in their group. She didn't know how to feel, she was so overwhelmed with relief that the tears which were flowing down her face was a sign of happiness.   
  
Hilde and Mariemaia noticed the tears skimming down her face and both came up to her and gave her a big hug. Mueller and Alex smiled at them while Quatre got up to allow the girls more space. He was glad to finally see Relena happy, the smile proved that and it wasn't a forced one either. The happiness she was feeling reflected from her eyes and showed that she wasn't afraid to be happy at the moment. The encouragement and kindness she had received from everyone had convinced her that she wasn't alone now; she had friends who cared and treated her like she was their own and would be by her side to laugh and cry along with her through the good times and the bad. If she didn't realize this yet then there was still hope for her to learn since that laugh showed that it was possible. Once Hilde and Mariemaia released their arms from Relena, she smiled her thanks at them and turned to grin evilly at Duo, "Now, about that repayment."  
  
Knowing what he was in trouble now he shrugged and backed away a little, "Hehe, not until you catch me first!" With that said, he darted across the ice to get as far away as he could away from them.  
  
"Hehe, you can run but you can't hide!" Hilde called out to him as she began her chase.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Mariemaia called out to her. Much to Mueller's and Alex's surprise, they watched as Mariemaia got up from the ground all on her own and began chasing after Duo herself. Looking at each other in confusion they just shrugged it off and went after them.   
  
Quatre watched as they all began making their rounds all about the rink just to try and catch Duo. Wanting to join in the fun with everyone he turned his gaze to Relena and said, "Well, shall we go joi-" Before he could finish, Relena had glided over to him and embraced him with a tight hug. She had her arms around Quatre's neck but since he was a few inches taller than her she brought his head down towards hers, causing Quatre's heart to beat rapidly as she did so. Bringing her mouth up towards Quatre's ear she whispered, "Thank you for saving me." Quatre didn't get the chance to say anything back since he surprised by her yet again as she kissed him on the cheek.   
  
Releasing her hold on him she skated past him and went to join the others in their chase for Duo. Touching her lips she couldn't help but blush at what she had just done, she was just so overwhelmed with happiness that she got a bit carried away by doing that. Quatre watched as she skated away from him, he was so shocked that he didn't know how to react. As he touched his cheek though, he couldn't help but smile slightly. It seemed as though she had gotten over her earlier problems with Heero but Quatre wasn't through with that little issue just yet.  
  
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Author's Note: Ok, first let me apoligize for taking a while to post this, I have been in a bit of a writer's block, which is why this chapter took me a while to do. I had to redo it a couple of times since I wasn't satisfied with it and to be honest I'm still a little iffy about it but it will do, for now. And I apoligize if I happened to state any wrong information about the way fencing, ice hockey or ice skating work. I admit I haven't played either of the sports so please understand the reason why the info may be a bit wrong and only tried ice skaing once and hated it :-P Not that I have anything against it, you could say that I was like Mariemaia, I had no idea how to stand let alone skate ^_^; Um, what else, oh, Hoshi no Manazashi is the name of one of Quatre's Image Songs, it means Stargaze. Corny name for a school I know but if you read the japanese name I think it sounds cool ;-) Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, becasue I'm not quite happy with it. So please tell me what you think, REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! ^_^  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	10. Chapter 10

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Hilde was completely focused on the work at hand. Working through her maths equations she reached over for her scientific calculator and started calculating the finishing things she would have to do to get the right answer. As she was doing this, Mariemaia was reading through some theory work she had previously done in music. As she was re-reading through her exercise book, filled with work she had done at the beginning of the year she suddenly went into shock at what she had just discovered. One of her major assignments wasn't completely finished, and to her annoyance, this was going to be included in their mid year exams too, "GOD DAMMIT!!!" She yelled as she slammed her hand onto her book. At that moment the librarian glared at her and put their index finger over their mouth, signaling for her to keep quiet. Quickly putting her hand over her mouth she waved her other hand at them in apology.   
  
As the librarian went back to doing their work again, Mariemaia sighed to herself and looked back down at her work. She remembered why she didn't complete that project now, it was because A) She couldn't find any information on it B) She started it the night before it was due, even though they were given two weeks to do it and C) She was just plain slack, full stop. At that moment though, another outburst was suddenly called out as Hilde screamed insults at what looked to be her text book. The librarian once again looked over at their table and eyed Hilde with annoyance. She just ignored them; instead she started skimming over her work to find just what it was that made her get the wrong answer.  
  
"I can't stand maths! Why is it so bloody hard!?" Hilde said as she slammed her pencil onto her book.  
  
"Haven't you done these questions already?" Mariemaia asked as she peered over at Hilde's work.  
  
"Yeah, I'm doing this as revision to prepare myself for my maths exam. The more I can get right on my own, the better," Hilde stated as she closed her text book and leaned her arms over her exercise book.  
  
"I assume your taking a break now?"  
  
"Well, I think I deserved it, maths makes my head hurt."  
  
"Understandable, I would have to start on that soon too," Mariemaia said, shuttering at the thought of it. Like Hilde, maths wasn't one of her strong points either.  
  
"Say, where is everyone?" Hilde suddenly asked.  
  
"Hm? Oh! Um, Mueller and Alex are on the computers, Relena and Duo are looking for some books for English or something and Quatre is coming over here right now."  
  
As Mariemaia said this, Quatre came over to their table with a whole stack of exercise books. Dumping them on the table where Hilde and Mariemaia were, he sat himself down opposite from them and began working through them. Hilde and Mariemaia stared in shock at all of his work books, and to think that he started school later than them too; he had more than doubled the amount of their books and the thought of it scared them a little.  
  
"Wow, Quatre, how do you have so many books?" Hilde asked, still in shock at the sight of them all.  
  
Quatre looked up at her when she asked this and smiled sheepishly at her, "Um, well some of them are my exercise books but some are my revision books as well. When ever I get stuck on something or if I know that we will have to know it for exams at the end of the year, I put them in a whole new book so I will know what I will have to work though when I need to do some revision, if that makes any sense."  
  
"Geez, you're so organized, I should try doing that sometime," Mariemaia stated.  
  
"Hehe, yeah sure you will," Hilde added in a half teasing way.  
  
"Hey!" Mariemaia shrieked in a playful tone as she gently slapped Hilde across the arm.  
  
Quatre smiled at them and glanced over what they were doing, what Mariemaia was working through was what caught most of his attention though.  
  
"Ah, you're making a start on music Miss Mariemaia?"  
  
Turning her gaze over to Quatre, Mariemaia nodded but sadly replied, "Yeah, but one of my major assignments that is going to be in our mid year exams wasn't completed."  
  
Smiling at her sympathetically, Quatre held out his hand and asked, "May I have a look and see?"  
  
Mariemaia nodded and slowly handed her book to Quatre, pointing over at the page where it was 'supposed' to be. As Quatre was looking through it, Mariemaia was awaiting for some form of insult towards her. Knowing of Quatre's high work standards, she was waiting for an 'Oh that's easy' or 'As if you couldn't do that' or even 'Well, your screwed aren't you?' from Quatre as his reaction to her lack of work. Well, it was her fault after all so what right does she have to complain? Maybe Quatre's words could sink into her thick head and force her to do some work when she knew deep down that she could.   
  
Much to her surprise though, she watched as Quatre got up from his seat and passed her book back to her, still giving her that sweet smile of his. Taking the book back from Quatre, she looked up at him in confusion. Noticing this he said, "I admit that the information for that was a bit tricky but don't worry, I will get you the books I used to do that assignment. I just need to remember what they were called again." With that said he walked over to the music section of the library and started his search for the books Mariemaia would need.  
  
"Hmph, you do realize that he was just being nice when he said that don't you?" Hilde said, wanting to tease her some more.  
  
"Oh shut up! At least if he did think I was an idiot he had the decency NOT to say it to my face."  
  
"Yeah true, you have been told that on more than one occasion anyway so I guess he shouldn't waste his breath over it."  
  
Ignoring that comment, Mariemaia figured that she might as well have a break while she waited for Quatre, she would help him but as slack as she was, she figured that he would have asked if he wanted help. As the two girls sat in silence, both not wanting to do any more study for a while, Mariemaia got out a blank piece of paper and pen and asked, "Wanna play naughts and crosses?"  
  
Hilde looked up at her and smirked, "Sure, why not?" And with that, both started battling each other.  
  
"Well, that's all the books I need," Duo said as he picked up the last novel he needed from the shelves. He cursed himself for returning them, especially once he did so, a couple of days later Mr. Quinze suddenly announces to the class that you might need to go through the books they have studied so far to help them with exams. It's too bad that he made Relena do the same; now both of them had to stress themselves out over the fact that they needed to get the books back again.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to borrow my copy?" Duo asked, holding a book out to her. It took him a while to find this copy and he wasn't sure if many of them would still be available so he was only doing what was right in asking if maybe she would like to share it since they needed to start on it soon.  
  
Relena looked at it briefly before looking up at him and shaking her head, "You will need it for yourself. Besides, I'm a little stuck with what to know about that book. I will be hogging it if I were to share it with you."  
  
"Yeah, I get what you mean; I will need to go through it as well. I might have to ask Mr. Quinze for help, when he's in a good mood that is. I know how much he gets pissed off with me hehehe. Are you sure you don't need any help?" Relena shook her head in response once again. With that, Duo just shrugged and went to go borrow his novels; he really needed to get started on them so he figured that he better do just that once he had hired them all.  
  
While looking through the title names of each novel on the shelves, Relena was beginning to panic, 'What if all the copies had been hired out?' God she hoped not, or else she wasn't going to get very good results for her English exam. Every little mark mattered, especially for her so she needed to be sure to study real hard. It was only mid-years but she still needed to picture them as though they were her end of year ones, since midyear exams basically determine if whether or not you will pass the ones at the end of the year.   
  
Much to her relief she finally found the last book she needed, but as she lifted her hand to the top of the book in order to slip it out, to her surprise she felt her hand brush against someone else's. Quickly pulling her hand back in surprise she watched as the novel she needed was pulled out the shelf from the other side. Sighing to herself, she figured that she better start looking for another copy. However, the person who took the book walked around to her side of the shelves, looking at her with amused eyes. Feeling as though someone was watching her, Relena looked up at them briefly but didn't register who it was at first until she lowered her gaze back at the books, the realization of who it was suddenly flashed before her. Looking up at them again she felt her heart begin to race as she dared to look up into their eyes, "Um, hello, Wufei."  
  
Wufei didn't answer; instead he just remained still and continued to stare at her, making slow observations of her slim form. Turning her gaze back at the novels in front of her, she could feel his eyes on her as she continued looking for the novel she needed. This was causing her to feel really; really uncomfortable with the way he was watching her. She couldn't help but look at him every now and then from the corner of her eye, hoping that he might leave her alone soon if she continued to 'try' and ignore him. However, his presence wasn't one that could be easily ignored, his intense black eyes almost seemed to freeze people in their steps, and she was no exception either. Much to her dismay he suddenly began to walk up to her, causing Relena to get really, really nervous.   
  
"Do you need this book?" Wufei asked as he held it out to her.  
  
Relena didn't know if looking up at him was such a good idea, she knew that if she looked at the book her gaze would drift to his hand, then his arm, then up to his torso, to his neck then finally his eyes and she wasn't about to do that. Instead she kept her eyes on the books in front of her and replied, "Um, no it's ok. You were the one who reached out for the book first so it would only be inconsiderate of me to take it from you. I assume you need that for your exams so you can have it, I will just browse around for another copy and-"  
  
"This is the only copy left available," Wufei interrupted as he slowly came closer to her. She was babbling just now and he couldn't help but grin at that, he knew that she always rambled on when she was nervous and just the thought of that flattered him in some way. He was proud that his presence could make people so uncomfortable, it showed a sense of power and he loved it. However, it was different in Relena's case, he felt drawn towards her nervousness, as though he wanted to see more of it.  
  
Noticing Wufei come up to her, Relena was beginning to go under a massive panic, her heart was rapidly beating and her shaking wasn't calming her down one bit. Being only a few inches away from her now, Wufei leaned his right arm over the book shelves and with his other hand he held up the book up to Relena's face and asked, "How long will you need the book for?"  
  
Ok, she could tell that maybe he was going to make a compromise over the novel, which she found not being anything bad right? "Um, well I will need the book for a while since I'm having a bit of trouble with it and everything so-"  
  
"You're having trouble?" Wufei interrupted again.  
  
'Oh no, bad move Relena. Why in the hell can't you shut your trap when ever he's around?' Since Wufei had told Relena that that was the only copy to that particular novel left, she figured that maybe sharing it with Duo might not be such a bad idea. As she was about to pass Wufei though, she was stopped in her tracks when he suddenly raised his arm in the way of her path.  
  
Quatre at last found the books he was looking for in order to help Mariemaia with her music assignment. Reaching over for the books his gaze went from the books to the gap in between them and the shelf above it. There were gaps to see through each row of shelves for each new section but what caught his eye were the two figures that were a few rows ahead of him. He could only see a bit of them since the shelves covered majority of their bodies but he was able to make the faces of the two people. One was Relena who looked to be backing up towards a wall while the other who was slowly advancing on her looked to be... Wufei? Quatre was growing overly concerned with what was happening between them, he was beginning to panic, not to mention grow furious, much to his surprise. As he was about to leave though he suddenly came face to face with Sylvia.  
  
"M-Miss Sylvia?" Quatre stuttered as he backed away from her a little just to give them both some space, "What are you doing here?"  
  
Smiling up at him, Sylvia closed the distanced between them again and sweetly replied, "Hello Quatre is there a problem with me doing a bit of, research?"  
  
"Um, no of course not. Well, I better be going now so-" But before he could pass her, she suddenly stepped in the way of his path and continued to look up at him with the sweetest smile she could master.  
  
"Oh, what's your hurry? I was wondering if maybe you could help me," Sylvia said as she came up even closer to Quatre, causing him to try and step back from her advances on him. Which wasn't working since she continued to come up to him when ever he tried stepping back and the more he tried preventing her from coming closer to him, he could sense the wall coming up to him as well, much to his bad luck. As he felt his back press against the wall, Sylvia was only centimeters away from him as she played a little with his school tie, "Do I make you nervous Quatre?" She asked playfully as she continued to play around with him.  
  
Quatre had no idea what she was trying to do here; didn't she just say that she needed to do a bit of research? "Um, you mentioned earlier that you needed to do a bit of research right? Shouldn't you maybe get started?"  
  
At that moment, Sylvia brought both of her hands up to his tie but slowly started running her hands down his torso, causing Quatre's heart to speed up, "My, I never realized how strong you were Quatre, what I wouldn't give to..." As she was saying this, her hands traveled lower, causing them to slip under his school blazer and up under his school top. Quatre's eyes widened with what she was doing and quickly put his books under his arm so that he could grab hold of both her wrists, "Miss Sylvia!"  
  
"Haha, you know how much I love hearing you call me 'Miss'?" Sylvia chucked as she began to let her hands travel up Quatre's top. It wasn't until she brought her fingers up to his nipples that he dropped his books and brought his hands up to her shoulders so that he could gently push her aside. As he did this he quickly made his way out the row of the book shelf and hasty made his way to Hilde's and Mariemaia's table. He couldn't believe he allowed her to do such a thing to him, and what he cursed himself for the most was the fact that he actually enjoyed the way she was touching him.   
  
Sylvia decided to let him go, for now. She couldn't help but smile at what she had just done, god how she loved being so daring and so forward when it came to Quatre, it made it all the more fun since he couldn't understand what she was doing by that. Sighing to herself, she figured that she better find the others now but as she was about to leave, she looked in-between the shelves of books and saw Wufei approaching Relena, causing Sylvia's eyes to widen to mention widen her smile as well, 'Hmph, I don't believe it! Well, wait until Midii hears about THIS!' And with that, she walked out from behind the shelves and went to find her friends.  
  
"If you're having trouble, I can help you," Wufei said as he came closer to Relena.  
  
"Oh but I don't want to disturb you from your stud-"  
  
"I only need the book just to confirm some of the notes I have from it. It will only take a couple of minutes so I will have plenty of time to help you."  
  
"But what about you're other subjects? I don't want to-"  
  
"Why won't you accept my help?" Wufei suddenly said, causing Relena to be silenced, "You let Winner help you, why not me?" He was only few centimeters away from her now. Relena lowered her gaze to the ground, she could feel tears swell up in her eyes now but no, she can't allow herself to let Wufei see her in such a state, he already thought low of her, she didn't need to press that on any further. Her arms were beginning to ache at that moment as well, slipping them behind her back she murmured, "You don't like weak, stupid, pathetic women like me."   
  
It was only faint but Wufei heard the words as though they were shouted straight into his ears. Those words caused him to make a terrible mistake back then and even now, they continued to affect him in ways he couldn't explain, he felt some what, ashamed. Placing his hands up to her shoulders, he could feel Relena jump in fright of him, making him feel all the more ashamed of himself, "Relena, I-" Before he could continue he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Sighing in frustration he lowered his hands from Relena and said, "What are you doing here Barton?"  
  
Trowa had to smirk at that, Wufei didn't even turn around to see if it was him and knew instantly that it was him. Going through some of the books which were beside Wufei he said, "I'm looking for some books, is there a problem with that?"  
  
"The problem is that those books you are going through are physics books. You don't do that subject Barton!" Wufei snapped as he turned his gaze towards him, glaring at him in the process. Trowa looked at the titles of the books and indeed found them to be physics books, 'Hmph, one to you Wufei.'   
  
At that moment, Heero made his entrance and eyed what was before him suspiciously. Relena was up against the wall, close to crying whereas Wufei was standing in front of her but looked to be furious over Trowa for some reason. Trowa looked towards Heero and figured that this might be the excuse he needed to get the clearing from Wufei. Browsing over the titles of the books, Trowa pulled out one specific book and chucked it towards Heero asking, "This is what you needed right Heero?" Heero caught the book with ease and eyed the cover carefully. He found it to be the book he indeed needed for his studies, which was the reason why he was coming here for it but as he looked up at Trowa he raised an eyebrow at him and wondered how he knew he needed this particular book, but more importantly, why was Relena here?  
  
"Are you alright Relena?" Heero asked softly as he turned his gaze towards her.  
  
Relena looked up at him and nodded, rubbing her eyes free of the tears that were swelling up in her eye lids. Heero was not convinced; she could not be fine and be about ready to cry because of it. Turning his gaze to Wufei he noticed that Wufei was staring at him as well, "Hmph, it didn't take you long to suspect me already," Wufei said as he continued to glare at Heero.   
  
They continued to do this for a while before Heero just shrugged and turned him back on them but before he left he said, "Can you blame me?" And with that he went back to his table to study.   
  
Wufei was furious, but what made him angry was the fact that Heero had a point, and the fact that he said that to make him feel guilty angered him even more. Turning back to Relena again he said, "Meet me in the car park after school alright? You need this book so I will be sure to give it to you when I'm done with it." Relena looked up at him and noticed the anger he in his eyes, he was more demanding her to meet up with him later so she figured that she better do what he says.   
  
Slowly nodding to him she lowered her gaze again and kept it on the ground. Wufei cursed himself for saying that in such a harsh tone but if it weren't for Trowa and Heero, things would have gone much smoother than this. Stomping his way out from the row of book shelves he made his way over to the librarian's desk to borrow his book. Knowing that Wufei was finally gone, Relena sighed in relief as she slid down the wall and onto the ground. But what scared her now was the fact that she agreed to go to Wufei's house to study, was this a good thing, or a bad thing?  
  
"You didn't have to agree with him you know," Trowa said as he looked down at her.   
  
Relena jumped when she heard his voice and looked up at him; she totally forgot that he was still here. That little performance of her slipping onto the floor just now must have looked really bad on her part since Wufei was his friend, "I, I want to go, I need to go."  
  
"Over the book?" He asked in curiosity.  
  
"I...Um..." Relena had no answer how to answer that, so she figured that she might as well keep her mouth shut. To be honest, she had no idea why she just agreed to go to Wufei's house, but she most definitely knew that it wasn't just about that book. Looking up at Trowa, the look in his emerald eyes told her that he probably knew the answer better than she did anyway so he would be able to pick up if she was lying or not.  
  
"Heero's not the only one worried you know," Trowa suddenly said before he decided to leave her.   
  
Relena just stared at his back in total confusion, 'What did he mean by that?'  
  
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Once the bell sounded for the end of the school day, Relena, Quatre, Mariemaia, Alex and Mueller were all in music. As Relena was packing up her things she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, turning to the person behind her she noticed that it was Mariemaia. Smiling at her she asked, "Is something wrong Mariemaia?"  
  
"Hehe, I told you already that you can call me 'Marie'. Um but anyway, we were all thinking about going over to Quatre's place to study after school," Mariemaia said. Leaning closer to Relena she whispered, "We all need a personal teacher you see, and what's good about Quatre is that we don't have to pay for his services."  
  
Relena couldn't help but chuckle a little at that, however her mind was too filled up with what she will have to do now, "Um, as much as I would like to, I need to go somewhere else today."  
  
Mariemaia's smile weakened a little once she heard this but tried to stay cheerful and said, "Oh ok, well have a good night then." Hugging her friend she gave her one last smile before she went over to everyone else. As Relena chucked her bag over her shoulder she began walking out the classroom door to head for the car park but before she could leave, she suddenly felt someone grabbing her arm. Looking over her shoulder she found it to be Quatre.  
  
"Um, is something wrong Quatre?" Relena asked, trying her best to smile at him.  
  
Quatre could see the strain she was going through in order to keep a straight face but with concern he asked, "Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm, I'm going, to study, at um, Wufei's place tonight," Relena answered in an ashamed sort of way.  
  
As Quatre released his hold on Relena's arm, she looked up at him and noticed him looking angry in some way, not to mention hurt.  
  
"Am I not helping you well enough with your studies?" He suddenly asked, causing Relena to feel all the more guilty about going over to Wufei's house.  
  
"It's not that Quatre, it's just that, I." Relena was kicking herself mentally now. All day she had seemed to be at a loss for words when it counted, and just now she was doing the same. Quatre didn't do English so it would be a bit difficult for him to help her with that subject, even though he had helped her on it on other occasions, it's just that she didn't want to get him so stressed over her own work when he still had his own to worry about. If he didn't know the book before hand anyway, there was no way he could help her but Wufei was the top male student in her English class so what was the harm in getting other sources of help? She could see that he was slightly offended with her going to someone else for help but she thought that he wouldn't mind, less work for him right?  
  
After waiting a few moments for her to finish he figured that she wasn't going to anytime soon so he sighed and said, "Its ok, I'm sorry for saying such a thing to you. If you want to go get help from someone else, I understand totally." Quatre gave her a weak smile and made his way past her to leave the room. Mariemaia, Mueller and Alex just looked at each other in confusion before they went to follow.   
  
Before Mariemaia left though she looked back over to Relena and said, "Don't mind him, I think he is just jealous. I guess this is usually the only chance he usually gets to show how much he cares for you huh?" As she said this, Relena's eyes widened, almost causing Mariemaia to laugh at the sight of her. Playfully slapping her hand over her mouth she mumbled, "Opps, too much information there hehehe." Relena still looked at her blankly so Mariemaia dropped the act and just shook her head at her, "Well, I better be off now, see ya later." Waving to her, she was about to leave the room before she suddenly bumped into someone. Rubbing her nose, Mariemaia looked up at the person before and noticed it to be Wufei, "Geez, watch where you are going you moron."  
  
Wufei just raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Maybe YOU should be the one watching where YOU are going woman."  
  
"Hmph, no manners WHAT SO EVER, and to think you were raised by an army general... You need to more discipline young man, now drop down and give me fifty," Mariemaia mimicked a soldier of higher ranking than Wufei at that stage and couldn't help but laugh at her joke. Wufei on the other hand glared at her, if she wasn't female, he would have pounded her for that, no one makes a mockery over his father like that and gets away with it.   
  
Mariemaia shut her mouth after a few moments when she noticed no one found her joke being funny at all. Wufei looked about ready to murder her, whereas Relena looked at her as though she were crazy for saying such a thing, Wufei did after all have a high regard for his father, not to mention his occupation so Mariemaia's words just now would have angered him greatly.  
  
Coughing to clear the rest of the chuckles in her throat, Mariemaia said, "Well, I better leave now." Inching her way past Wufei as well as she could, she felt shivers go down her spine when she continued to feel Wufei's glare on her. To be honest, the guy totally creped her out and she couldn't stand being in the presence of him but what she pitied most was the fact that she had left Relena alone with him, 'Oh well, she use to hang out with him anyway.'  
  
Once she was a fair distance away, Wufei turned his gaze over to Relena and said, "Well, let's get going." Relena nodded and began following Wufei to the car park. As she followed him, she began to wonder why he came to her classroom in order to get her; she said that she would meet him at the car park so why did he still come and get her from her class? Was it because he didn't trust her in showing up? Was it because he wanted to get things over and done with as quickly as possible? But how could that be, he was the one who insisted that she come right? Sighing to herself she figured that she better just go through the motions and hope that this won't take long, she couldn't avoid Wufei forever right?  
  
Wufei felt uncomfortable with the way she was trailing behind him like this, it was the same as before as well, but he had himself to blame yet again. Slowing down a little so that she would be walking beside him he heard her foot steps slow down as well, making her trail along behind him still. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret at this, he wanted to make up for his earlier rudeness at the library by meeting her at her classroom but now he felt as though he had made things even worse. Well, once they get to his house, it will just be him and her so he will finally be able to sort out some things, without the presence of Heero or Trowa watching his every move, or even Quatre. He had to admit that even Quatre was getting a little too close to his likings to Relena and he cursed Heero for not pounding him when he would have had the excuse to, even if he would have gotten suspended. The way Relena laid on that bed, looking so weak and helpless that she was finding it too hard to even breathe made him both furious yet scared at the same time.  
  
"What the hell took you so long Wufei?" Meiran said to him as she noticed him finally arrive, "I want to go home some time thi-" Before could finish, her mouth suddenly hung loose when she caught the sight of Relena.   
  
Knowing that Meiran had stopped mid-sentence at the sight of her, Relena looked up from the ground and noticed the murder in both Meiran's and Midii's faces, 'Oh great, as if this couldn't get any worse.'  
  
"What is SHE doing here?" Both Meiran and Midii asked Wufei at the same time.  
  
"She's coming over to study. And what are YOU doing here Midii?" Wufei challenged as he stared down at her.  
  
"Why, to come over and study of course. Not to mention spend more time with you," Midii said as she slowly approached him, swinging her arms over him as she made soft kisses down his neck, keeping her eyes locked with Relena as she did so.   
  
Relena tilted her head off to the side at the sight of this but Midii could see the hurt in her eyes at the sight of them and smiled to herself. However, Wufei unraveled her arms from his neck and moved her aside so that he could get to his car. As he unlocked it he looked over to Relena and said, "Relena, sit at the front." Both Midii and Meiran looked at him in shock when he said this.  
  
"Um, hello? What about me?" Midii stated as she put her hands on her hips.  
  
Wufei didn't once look at her when she said this but kept his eyes locked on Relena. Knowing that she better get in before they all start screaming bloody murder at her she quickly made her way to the front passengers seat and quickly got in, avoiding the cold stares Meiran and Midii were giving her.  
  
"Get in before I leave you two behind," Wufei said as he got into the car.   
  
Meiran went around the car and sat behind Wufei whereas Midii sat behind Relena. As they left the school grounds and started making their way to Wufei's house, Relena could feel Midii kicking her seat and could hear the curses the two girls were saying about her. She knew their game, they WANTED her to hear them and they wanted her to get extremely upset, they wanted to see her break down and cry and look pitiful before them. The bad thing was that they were succeeding, she could already feel the guilt eat away at her insides for it and it was taking all her strength not to cry right here and now. From the corner of her eye though she suddenly noticed Wufei's hand coming towards her own. Quickly inching as far away as she could from him she sat as close to the door as possible, hoping that he couldn't reach her from where she sat, however since she was in the front passenger seat, she couldn't get very far.   
  
Wufei noticed her movements and felt anger rush through him at her wanting to get away from him, he could hear what his cousin and his so called 'girl friend' were saying about her so he wanted to try and comfort her in some way and all she does in return for his concern is try and get away from him. Although, he was angry at himself for making her the way she was. Watching her from the corner of his eye he could see the frightened gaze in her aquamarine eyes and felt guilt wash over him at the sight of her, he cursed himself for allowing this to happen. Hearing the snickering at the back of the car, Wufei's eyes hardened as he squeezed the steering wheel hard, trying to release the anger that he was feeling at the moment, at Relena, his cousin, girl friend and himself. This was not going to continue though, and he was going to make sure of that.  
  
********************************  
  
Quatre was too distracted to do any work, propping his elbow on the table he rested his chin on his hand and just dosed off into wonderland while everyone else was busy either eating or chatting, so much for their study session.   
  
Duo was busy stuffing his face with potato chips, cake and biscuits while Hilde and Mariemaia were busy gossiping and chatting the usual thing while Alex and Mueller had long forgotten about study and decided to play a bit of pool. Closing his eyes, Quatre began to wonder if this was just another one of their schemes just to get out of work. There were too many things in the recreation room to distract them and he figured that they knew that too.   
  
Sighing to himself he began to wonder just how Relena was doing, at least with her they both actually did some work. When Duo suggested that they all needed some help with study, they asked if he could help them and at first he had no problem with it but he was hoping that they would at least put in the effort to at least do SOMETHING. If he didn't excel in his mid-year exams, he knew how angry his father would be and what he would do to him if that was the case. Quatre shuttered at the thought, he couldn't understand why he had to be pushed so hard at these sorts of things and couldn't understand why he wasn't as hard on Dorothy as he was on him. It was probably because of the fact that Dorothy was the only female in the family and that she deserved 'special treatment' since she didn't have the company of a mother there for her but it wasn't like Quatre had his father there for him when ever he needed it, not to mention Dorothy as well.   
  
"Hey Quatre, want some?" Duo said as he held the bowl of potato chips out towards him.  
  
'Why was I so rude to Relena today?' Quatre wondered to himself, he never treated her in such a manner before, even when she couldn't stand his company at first he still treated her with kindness, all she said was that she was going to study at Wufei's house, what was the problem with that?  
  
"Hello? Quatre?" Duo called out to him.  
  
Was it the fact that he was always the one helping her with her school work? She always went to him when she had problems, at first he had to force her to allow him to help her, to make her understand and trust that he wasn't just all talk and that he did hold the knowledge to help her out with her studies. It was usually work he had already done or had previously learned from his personal teachers when he was working overseas so it wasn't any problem. It didn't take long for her to ask willingly for help when she needed it and he was always more than happy to assist her.  
  
"Earth to Quatre!" Duo tried calling out to him, raising his tone a little as he did so. This caused Hilde and Mariemaia to stop talking and look towards Quatre.  
  
He should be thankful to know that he didn't have to help her out tonight right? He would have more time to himself to study right? No, he had everyone here to help out, it wasn't the fact that he didn't want to help them, he was just frustrated at the fact that THEY didn't want to put in the effort to do anything and their exams were next week for crying out loud!  
  
"QUATRE!!!" Duo yelled, causing Alex to jump and miss his shot when he went for one of the balls on the board.  
  
Why did it suddenly seem offending that Relena has gone to someone else now? That's how he felt, he felt hurt that she didn't ask for his help this time but why did it matter so much to him? Was he just hurt? No, there was something else there, was it anger? That had to explain why he was being so cold to her at the end of their music class, but was that all? ....No, there was something else there, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, there was more than anger and hurt in his tone earlier but, what was it?  
  
At that moment, Duo got up from his seat and walked over to Quatre. Looking down at him he noticed that Quatre looked completely blank, as though he were sleeping with his eyes open. Waving a hand over Quatre's eyes and snapping his fingers before him he noticed that Quatre did not flinch once when he did this. Taking matters into his own hands he picked up Quatre's tea cup and poured the hot contents onto Quatre's head, causing Quatre to gasp in shock as he quickly stand from his seat, 'There, that got his attention.' As Duo was about to say something, Quatre glared at him with murderous eyes, causing Duo to shut his mouth in silence.  
  
"Um, are you alright Quatre?" Hilde asked, trying to set the peace between them as to not arouse another fight, "We were just concerned that's all."  
  
Blinking the anger out of his eyes, Quatre looked apologetically at Hilde then back at Duo and said, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to black out like that." Looking down at his casual wear he noticed his shirt was completely drenched from his tea. Sighing he started making his way out the room saying, "I'm just going to go change ok?" Once the door closed behind him, everyone just looked at each other blankly.  
  
'What is wrong with me?' Quatre wondered as he started making his way to his bed room, why was he being so arrogant? Why did he have such a problem with Relena being with Wufei? He was the same with Heero as well, but for some reason, it didn't affect him as badly. He didn't feel comfortable about Relena being left alone with Heero, since that fateful day when he found Relena crying, not to mention her arms were hurting as well. He never got the chance to check them but since she hardly looked to be in pain about it a couple of days later, he assumed that what ever it was, it must have healed over.   
  
But why did Wufei scare him more than what Heero did? There was something about Wufei that he didn't trust, more so than what he felt about Heero. Relena never looked shaken up when ever she was around Heero, she talked to him when ever he came up to her, much to Quatre's annoyance but with Wufei she was shaken up just by looking at him. Even though he had been at Tooi Yoake High for a few months now, there was still so much that he didn't understand but he wasn't about to interrogate everyone who aroused his suspicions.   
  
Bringing his hand up to rest where his heart was, he closed his eyes and said out loud, "Miss Relena, help me understand, let me help you carry your pain, let me see the real you, teach me how to cope with this pain." At that moment, he felt something wet touch his hand, looking down at his hand in question he found it to be a tear. Upon examining it he murmurs, "Tears, something I will never escape but something I wish I could learn to cope with..."  
  
********************************  
  
Upon reaching Wufei's home, he got out of the car, along with Midii and Meiran getting out at the same time, whereas Relena waited until they approached the home so that she could get out in peace. Meiran and Midii grabbed their bags but waited by Wufei, keeping their eyes hooked on Relena's door as they did so. Wufei grabbed his bag and noticed that Relena hadn't got out yet, before going over to her though, Midii grabbed hold of his arm and said, "Well, shall we all go inside then?" Much to his annoyance though, both girls were trying to drag him to the front door and hope to leave Relena in the car. Shaking Midii off his arm he glared at them and said, "I'm waiting for Relena so you two women go in first," looking over at Meiran he said, "And you. Be sure to get us something to eat and drink got it?"  
  
Meiran glared back at him and said, "And what gives you the right to order me around like that?"  
  
Smirking at her he answered, "Well, if it's too hard for you, I'm sure I could try straightening out the issue with my father when he returns."  
  
Growling at him, she knew that there was no way out of this one. She hated how he could just order her around like a slave, all because of their stupid Chinese traditions. The women always obeying the calls of the males and that annoyed her greatly, and she knew how much Wufei got satisfaction out of seeing her suffer like that, ordering her around like when ever he pleased. And what annoyed her more was when he always mentioned his 'father' around her if she didn't beckon to his every call, she would get into trouble from both his father, mother and her own mother if she didn't do what she was told. Glancing over at the window to where she could see Relena she growled and said, "I am NOT going to serve her anything!"  
  
"You WILL Meiran if you know what's good for you."  
  
"Hmph, and what makes you trust me!? For all you know I could poison her food, and don't think I won't hesitate to do so."  
  
"I won't be stopping you. However, the question is, are you daring enough to do so? After all, I don't recall her doing anything to you."  
  
Narrowing her gaze on Wufei even more, she snorted and turned her back on him to head to the front door. Wufei just smirked at her little tantrum and looked to Midii, "Well go on, the doors being opened."  
  
"But Wu-"  
  
"I SAID GO IN!!!" Wufei yelled, causing Midii to jump at his tone. Nodding to him she quickly made her way to Meiran, as she was doing so she felt both upset and angry at the same time, upset for the way Wufei has been treating her lately and angry over the fact that he was being so nice to Relena, 'Damn bitch.'  
  
When the two walked into his house, it was that moment that Relena decided to step out of the car. Grabbing her bag she slipped it over her shoulder but as she turned to head for the house she jumped to find Wufei standing right in front of her.  
  
"Why did you take so long to get out?" Wufei asked her.  
  
"I, I didn't want to cause any trouble," Relena murmured.  
  
Staring at her for a moment, he wondered why she was being so weak, he invited her over so it shouldn't matter what Meiran or Midii thought right? But thinking on it a little more, he considered her words to be the right thing to do after all since it would prevent any sort of conflict between her and the girls and in Relena's state, it was all she could really do without down grading herself any further than what she already was at school. But she still had her rights and she didn't deserve to be pushed around like that. He didn't know how long he had been staring at her since he was beginning to sense the uneasiness Relena was feeling from him, so turning his back on her he said, "Well, let's go inside," and started making his way to the front door, along with Relena following a few paces behind him.  
  
Once they entered, Relena remembered to take her shoes off before setting foot on the carpet since she remembered being told to do so by Wufei a while ago since it was one of their house rules. As Wufei was taking his off he took noticed of what she was doing and couldn't help but smile at how Relena remembered that rule, it had been a while since she set foot in his home and it nice to know that she remembered her manners, unlike Midii.  
  
As Relena stepped into the lounge room, she noticed that there hadn't been any major changes to the set up of the home. It still displayed the beautiful paintings of scenery from China on the walls and down the hall way still hung wall scrolls of dragons and Chinese characters. Since Wufei's family was obviously Chinese their home was completely covered with many Chinese ornaments, statues, rugs, paintings, wall scrolls, and many other things. It always fascinated her; she loved how the home was set up in the way of their culture it almost seemed like she was in China itself when ever she set foot in this home.   
  
Suddenly, from down the hallway Relena noticed Wufei's mother coming towards them. She was a short woman who reached the base of Relena's neck in height, making her to only reach Wufei's chest since she was pretty small where he basically towered over her. But she a kind woman who Relena always enjoyed talking to when she had the chance, her strong Chinese accent makes it a little hard for her to understand some of the time but Wufei's mother never held it against her and would continue to try and help Relena understand her, causing Relena to feel a little bad since there were times Relena just couldn't understand and had to be told by Wufei what she was saying.  
  
"Welcome home Wufei," Wufei's mother said as she approached him, bowing in the process.  
  
Wufei nodded his greeting and gestured to Relena, "Mother, do you remember Relena?"  
  
As Wufei's mother looked up at Relena her face brightened as she approached her, "Oh, how nice it is to see you again Relena, it has been a while."  
  
Relena gave her a weak smile and bowed her greeting to her, "Hello Mrs. Chang, it has been a while indeed."  
  
"Well, shall I serve you both something to eat?" Mrs. Chang asked.  
  
"Yes, thank you," Wufei answered as he made his way past her and headed down the hall to the study room. Meiran must be happy that his mother is home since that means she wouldn't have to serve them, 'Hmph, what a pity.'  
  
"Shall I help you Mrs. Chang?" Relena asked kindly.  
  
"Oh no, that won't be necessary Relena, after all you are the guest. Please make yourself comfortable," Mrs. Chang answered, smiling at her kindness.  
  
Relena bowed to her again but as she was about to follow Wufei, Mrs. Chang said, "Your presence here is a refreshing one Relena; even Wufei has warmed up to it a little."  
  
Relena turned to look at her in question where as Mrs. Chang just smiled and made her way past her to head for the kitchen. Once Mrs. Chang was out of sight, Relena couldn't help but smile at how polite she was being to her, even after everything that had happened.  
  
"Are you coming Relena?" Wufei asked from down the hall as he gestured for her to come. Relena nodded to him and made her way to the study room, she had to admit that Mrs. Chang's little conversation with her had calmed her nerves down a little so she didn't feel too uncomfortable being here anymore.  
  
Sitting down by the table which was on the top right corner of the room beside the book shelves, Wufei set his bag down on the table and started rummaging through it to get all of his English things out. Relena stood by the table and watched as he started getting his things out, her gaze was at first watching the way his hands worked on getting out the required items he was searching for but as he was doing this her eyes drifted up to his face, noticing the stern expression over facials and the way his emotionless eyes kept focused on the task at hand.   
  
Relena's gaze softened as she kept her eyes firmly on his, she knew that he wasn't as heartless and cold as what people thought by his appearance. She knew that underneath all of that cold exterior was indeed a warm, caring man who was only too frightened to show his true emotions if people were to judge him by it but to her dismay, she was never the one to break though it. He had too much pride to allow himself to be controlled by such emotions and it saddened her that he made himself go through this pain when he really didn't like it either.  
  
She had no idea how long she must have been watching him since Wufei had indeed stopped going through his bag a while ago and was now staring at Relena while she did the same to him. The awareness of what she was doing suddenly flashed before her, causing her to blink a few times to refocus but when she saw him staring at her in confusion, she just lowered her head and blushed in the embarrassment of it all, "Um, sorry."  
  
Wufei just smiled and pulled out the chair by the table and sat himself down, "Come sit over here," he said as he pulled out the chair beside him. Hesitantly Relena slowly made her way to the seat and watched every move Wufei made as she sat down, at least hoping that if he were to do anything she would be ready to run when necessary. Wufei noticed the way Relena was watching him but remained patient as she slowly sat herself down, he knew that he couldn't push her in any way since she would only get frightened and distance herself from him even more than what she already did so all he could do for the time being was take things slow and hope that her trust in him will rebuild itself again. The way she had decided to come and not say anything about wanting to leave yet was indeed a good sign so he wasn't quite out of the game yet, much to his relief. But as he was about to get started with the work he needed to get done, he suddenly felt a pair of arms slip around his neck.  
  
"Aw, are you going to study already? I thought we could maybe, relax a little before getting onto things like this," Midii said as she started to nibble on Wufei's ear, sending daggers to Relena in the process.  
  
"Midii, I thought you said that you were coming here to study with Meiran, if so than go and do it already, if not then leave, I don't have time to be playing around," Wufei said coldly as he jerked his head away from her.  
  
"Aw, come on Wufei, we have plenty of time to study later," Midii pouted playfully as she slipped onto the table and sat in front of him, caressing his face in the process. Letting her hands glide from his cheeks to the back of his neck she wrapped her fingers together and leaned forward to kiss him.   
  
Wufei on the other hand just sighed and jerked his chair back, getting himself into standing position all in one swift movement, causing Midii to be pulled off from the table and land face first onto the floor. Ignoring her, Wufei grabbed all his things and started heading out the door, "Come on Relena, we will study in my room." When he said this, both girls just looked at him in sudden shock. Knowing how impatient Wufei could be, Relena got up from her seat and grabbed her bag, noticing the glares Midii was giving her. Looking down at her, she noticed the warning signals she was trying to give her.  
  
Considering what Midii was trying to say to her, Relena said, "Um, Wufei, maybe could study in th-"  
  
"My room is the only peaceful place here where I can have peace without being 'pestered' by anyone," Wufei interrupted, casting his gaze down to Midii in the process.  
  
"WUFEI!!! Have some respect, I am here don't forget, and since I'm your girlfriend I find it rather disturbing that YOU will be going into YOUR room with Relena by yourselves. There are many other rooms here that you could use to study," Midii complained.  
  
Raising an eyebrow at her Wufei snorted and asked, "What? You don't trust me or something?"  
  
"It's not that I don't trust YOU exactly, it's another 'certain' someone who I don't trust," Midii replied, turning her gaze to Relena as she said this.  
  
"Well woman, you kept disturbing me when I specifically said that I wanted to study, can you blame me for wanting to move into a room where I could actually lock the door so that I won't get pestered by you every five seconds?"  
  
Midii was shocked by Wufei's words, not to mention hurt, "...Am I nothing but a bother to you Wufei?" Midii quietly asked.  
  
"Don't take this personally but I sometimes wonder if your anything but," Wufei said, causing Midii to look up at him wide eyed.  
  
"JERK!!!" Midii yelled at him as she shoved her way past him and quickly made her way to Meiran's room, feeling tears swell up in her eye lids as she ran there.  
  
Relena felt extremely guilty with what had just happened, she couldn't help but feel that she was the one who cause that fight. Wufei just shrugged at Midii's little performance and went back to the table, "Well, I assume that we won't be bothered now."   
  
As he set his things back on the table again, Relena looked up at him with concern and said, "Wufei, maybe you should go talk to her."  
  
"Why?" Wufei asked, as he reorganized his things on the table once again.  
  
"She didn't mean any harm; she just cares about you a lot that's all. After all, it's natural to be overly protective of the ones you love." Her words just now caused Wufei to stop what he was doing, making Relena wonder if maybe her words were making him consider apologizing to Midii. What she didn't expect was to suddenly see him snicker, then chuckle, then suddenly burst out laughing. Relena just watched him with a blank expression, trying to re-think though her words in trying to figure out what was so amusing.   
  
Wufei settled down after a while but continued smiling as he looked at Relena, moving away from the table he started to approach her, "I'm sorry, I understood what you were trying to say, I just find it amusing because Midii doesn't care at all."  
  
Relena was confused by that, she always thought that Midii cared deeply for him since she was always with him where ever he went. Plus the way she always kissed and hugged him proved to her that she cared a lot.  
  
"What do you mean by that? She is always so happy when she's with you, and she proves her affection for you by always being by your side."  
  
As Wufei approached her he stood right in front of her and said, "Midii only sees me as a possession to do with as she pleases. She wouldn't care less about my feelings or thoughts, as long as she gets what she wants from me then she is satisfied. The only thing she sees me good for is sex, nothing else."  
  
"But that's what you wanted wasn't it?" Relena blurted out, causing Wufei to stare blankly at her. She totally regretted the words that just came out of her mouth, why would it matter to her what Wufei wants or what their relationship is like, it has nothing to do with her after all.   
  
When she was about to apologize for saying such a thing she was surprised at suddenly feel Wufei's hands slip around her waist, bringing her into his embrace. Quickly Relena stepped back from him but that only caused her to hit her back on the book shelves, causing her to singe a little at the sudden prang on her back. Wufei however didn't back away from her when she did this, coming up to her again he slipped his hands over her shoulders and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear, "You were right about one thing though, it is natural to be overly protective of the ones you love." Relena's heart was beginning to thump rapidly against her chest, not to mention Wufei's hot breath against her ear was sending shivers down her spine.  
  
"Wufei..." Slowly bringing her hands up to brush his off from her he quickly grabbed her arms in order to stop her, causing Relena to gasp at the pain from her arms.  
  
"Relena, please, I need to talk to you," Wufei said, loosening up his grip on her arms slightly. Relena didn't know how to react, if anything she should try struggling out from his grip on her and run away from him as fast as her legs could take her but for some reason she didn't do anything. Was part of her wanting this? Did part of her want to hear what he had to say? Half of her wanted this whereas the other half was screaming at her to not allow him to treat her in such a way, that she didn't need any of this.  
  
At that moment, Wufei felt someone grab him by the shoulder, causing him to be jerked back from Relena and caused him to be pushed onto the ground. As Wufei got himself off the ground he turned and glared at the culprit who did that to him and growled when he found it to be who he least expected. Relena was shocked to see who is was, but what confused her was the fact that she wasn't sure if she was thankful or annoyed at what he just did, but she was still surprised all the same. When was about to call out to him, she decided to keep her mouth shut since the look in his eyes and the body language he was giving didn't look to be one who wanted to be talked to at the moment, the glare he was giving Wufei told her so.  
  
"T-Trowa?" Relena whispered.  
  
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Author's Note: Grr, ok I seriously need help now. Ever since chapter 8 was completed I have had NO idea on what to write after that. I admit chapter 9 wasn't all that good, to be honest I didn't really like it but I have had no ideas on how to improve it and even now, chapter 10 doesn't sound as good either. I don't know, I had the story planned out in my head before hand so that when I started writing I would know what to write, but once I got up to chapter 5 my original story plot had basically been thrown out the window since it has basically been writing itself. Now I am basically writing and hoping that it will lead to something so I apoligize if this story is now beginning to suck -_- Please, I need some opinions here, tell me if you think it's ok the way it is or tell me what certain parts you think should be changed or anything really! I need to know so hopefully I could improve this before it's too late :-P Anyway, thanks to the people who have reviewed this so far, its great to know that this is actually being read so please HELP ME AND REVIEW SO I KNOW WHERE MY STORY STANDS!!! Thanks for going through the time in reading this ^_- and I will be sure to 'try' and get somewhere with Chapter 11.  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	11. Chapter 11 Part 1

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 11 (Part 1)  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
"I'm sorry Relena, as much as I would love to give you a better mark, I'm afraid that if you don't do any practicals then you would have to put up with these bare passing grades until you do some, theory work is not enough," Mrs. Baker explained as she went back to marking another classes assignments. Relena couldn't hide the fact that she was upset about her grade for the term but she did understand why she did so badly, it wasn't her Music teacher's fault after all; she was only doing this to herself. Nodding her thanks to Mrs. Baker, Relena slowly exited the classroom and began slowly walking down the empty corridor.  
  
It was the last day of term today; their school had been dismissed at lunch time because of it. Looking out the windows to her right as she walked down the corridor, Relena saw hardly any students around, everyone was probably anxious to get out of this place as soon as possible to begin the summer vacation right away. Sighing to herself, Relena started thinking back at her term results. She had received A's in practically every subject, causing her to literally double over at the shock of it, since she hadn't received grades like that for years now. Although, she couldn't take all the credit, no correction, she couldn't take any credit for them since it was all thanks to Quatre's tutoring skills.  
  
Turning her head up to look at the white ceiling, Relena figured that Quatre might want to know about her grades, he deserved to know about them after all, probably to see if his time wasted on her actually paid off or not. What will he say about her Music grade though? That was the only subject she did pretty poor in, she had only just passed the term and that was not good on her part. From all of the subjects she studies, Music 'use' to be her best subject, she always excelled in that class ever since she started high school. Even in primary school, teachers would comment on her musical talents... too bad it couldn't last though. Lowering her head down to the carpet now, memories began flooding back into her mind again, memories she hoped would last... forever.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Ending the last note of her song, the girl lowered the microphone from her mouth as she closed her eyes and listened into the music playing behind her as it began to die down slowly, from the drums and guitar players, through to the keyboard and it was over. Looking up from the stage to the person sitting in front of them, the woman pressed stop on her tape recorder and couldn't resist getting up from her seat to applaud their performance with great enthusiasm.  
  
"Great work you guys. Excellent, simply brilliant. Another top mark for you all I'm sure, I will have to listen through the tape again though, just to be precise with my marking but once again, great work!" The woman praised repeatedly as the band began packing their things.  
  
"Thanks Mrs. Baker, I'm glad you liked it!" The girl with long honey blonde hair replied as she smiled brightly at her teacher.  
  
"Oh I love hearing you perform Relena; your voice is simply remarkable. You sing from the heart I can tell," Mrs. Baker smiled as she picked up her note book and the tape recorder sitting beside her, she continued, "I will let you all finish up here, I trust you will close the door behind you who ever leaves last alright?" Noticing the nods from the five students, Mrs. Baker nodded back and headed out the door.  
  
Relena continued to smile as she placed the microphone back on the stand and turned to look over her left shoulder at the electric guitar player a couple of metres away from her. Watching his movements closely, she watched as he began pulling the cords out from behind his guitar and went to place it from the case it came from. Her eyes softened as she watched him put his guitar away, although it wasn't going unnoticed by the guitar player either.   
  
Laying the lid of the case over his guitar, he turned his prussian eyes towards Relena and raised an eyebrow at her asking, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Hm? Oh, no nothing," Relena replied cheekily as she went to help the others pack the rest of the equipment away, causing Heero to look at her suspiciously.  
  
"There we go!! All done," the keyboard player called out as she raised her fist high up over her head in triumph.  
  
"Good, I really want to get home now," the drummer replied as he picked up his school bag beside the stage and started heading towards the door.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" The bass guitarist said as he rushed to get his bag as well. Looking over to the keyboard player he said, "Come on Marie, we need to go too."  
  
Mariemaia looked to the bass guitarist and whined, "Geez, ok, ok. You are just as bad as Alex, Mueller." Stepping off the stage, Mariemaia grabbed her own bag and jogged over to where Alex and Mueller were waiting for her.   
  
Just as she reached them, she smiled and turned to face Relena and Heero saying, "See you later!" As usual, both didn't say a word to her so shrugging it off she ran out the door to reach Alex and Mueller since they weren't waiting for her if she didn't hurry.   
  
Once she was gone, Relena hopped off the stage herself and went to her bag and started searching through it for something. Heero busied himself with picking up a few stray cords which were lying about on the stage still but once he finished doing that, he saw nothing else that needed to be cleared up. Looking around for Relena, Heero noticed her on the floor by the stage and went to go see what she was doing.  
  
Watching her rummage through her bag, he heard her mutter a few curses under her breath before she spoke out loud, "Dammit! I must have left it at home..."  
  
"Left what?" Heero asked.  
  
"I wanted to show you another song I was working on. Geez, I knew I was forgetting something this morning. Dammit!!" Relena then went off in a little rage at herself while Heero just stood there staring at her blankly, although her cursing were beginning to get on his nerves though.  
  
"You can always show me later," Heero replied, sitting him self down on one of the many rows of chairs which were in the music room.  
  
"But I wanted to show you now..." Relena whined, allowing her self to get into another fit. Heero sighed to himself and wondered sometimes if she could ever be quiet for at least five minutes of her life. Watching her walk around in circles going on about god knows what, Heero stared at her in deep thought. He had to admit that she was a strong girl; playing along with everyone else's expectations of her and making it appear as though she was 'happy'. He had known her long enough to know that something was hurting her but could never get her to speak out what was troubling her so much... What did he have to do to make her say something? To show her that people did really did care...?  
  
Sighing in frustration, Relena still cursed herself for her forgetfulness but then, she brightened up suddenly when a thought just crossed her. Turning to face Heero, she noticed him sitting down by one of the chairs and smiled sweetly at him. Rushing up to him she knelled down on her knees in front of him and leaned her arms on his lap, causing Heero to snap out of his thoughts at the feel of her touch.  
  
"Hey Heero, do you think you could come over so I can sing it to you then?" Relena asked excitedly, causing Heero to stare at her blankly. Noticing his lack of response, Relena tilted her head off to the side a little and added, "Um, you know, my song? The one I had in my black note book which I forgot to bring today?" Observing his reaction to that remark, she grew a little curious with the way he was suddenly behaving. He still had that emotionless expression over his face but his eyes told another story. The glint in his eyes was something Relena had never seen before; they looked so warm and, loving at the moment.   
  
Just as Relena opened her mouth to ask Heero about that, she was shocked to suddenly feel Heero's lips pressed firmly against hers in a deep kiss. Relena's eyes widened at that moment, never had she even considered this ever happening to her; especially not between her and Heero, how could it? She had known him for so long now that, it almost seemed… wrong. Pulling away from him slightly, Relena looked deep into his eyes in confusion and asked, "…Heero? Wh-"  
  
"Relena," Heero interrupted as he raised his hands up to her cheeks, "Let me… help you…" Heero murmured as her rested his forehead against hers. Relena stared at him blankly at that moment, as though his words had just suddenly struck something within her soul. Her eyes turned glassy at that moment, tears were forming in her eyelids and she was determined to not let them fall. But his soft, deep gaze on her was not allowing her to try and hide anything anymore, it seemed as though he was searching her soul for a sign, something to reveal what he knew was there but... could not see it on his own.  
  
Relena didn't want that, she couldn't let this get to her, she couldn't. Rising up from the ground slowly, she was surprised to suddenly feel Heero's hands grab hold of her arms. Gazing at her softly, Heero pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her back, hugging her to his chest. Relena's defenses dropped at that moment as she let her tears cascade down her cheeks, weeping quietly to herself as pressed her head against Heero's school shirt.  
  
She didn't know how long she had been crying but she felt so ashamed of herself at the moment, feeling so helpless and being at the mercy of Heero. Just as she raised her head up from his shirt, she looked up at him sadly and watched as he raised his hand up to her face, brushing away a tear gently as he did so. Why was he even caring? She had never seen him do such a thing before, why a sudden change of heart? Or was he just taking pity on her? She couldn't speak; she didn't have the energy to even try since she had spent it all on balling her eyes out just now.   
  
At that moment though, Heero lowered his head down towards hers once more and gently brushed his lips against hers. Relena reacted slightly to his touch and began kissing him back. His kiss deepened as he held her close, while one arm stayed hooked around her back, another slowly drifted up to the back of her neck, wanting to kiss her more passionately. Relena's hands rested on Heero's shoulders but, unknown to him, tears were slowly beginning to flow down her eyelids once more. She was helpless and uncertain to what was going on with her, but one thing was for certain, she felt comforted by Heero at this moment and needed him right now… she needed his strength.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
It almost seemed ironic, even during that time three years ago, that was during her so called, 'happy days'. Even then she was a total mess of emotions; she had hardly changed since then either. Looking down at her watch, her eyes widened at what the time read. It was half past one; she should have met up with Duo and the others half an hour ago! Dashing down the corridor, Relena made a sharp turn to the area where the school office was and headed down another corridor to reach the exit of the main building.  
  
She didn't realize time went by so quickly; did she really talk to her music teacher about her grade for around thirty minutes!? She knew she was in for it now, she could picture the annoyed faces on Duo and everyone else when she were to eventually show up, if they were still at the car park that was.  
  
Just as she raced around the corner, she was shocked to suddenly bump into some thing… or more specifically some one. Gasping as she fell forward, she felt herself fall on top of the person she bumped into and immediately assumed it to be a teacher since she was around the office area after all. Quickly raising her head to who she assumed it to be a teacher she frantically replied, "Oh god! Please forgive me! I am so sorry, I-"  
  
Stopping mid-sentence, she felt the person's hands reach over her arms and heard them reply, "Miss Relena, are you alright?" Relena's eyes widened at the familiar voice and felt her cheeks redden as the person lifted their head to look at her.  
  
Gazing down at him, Relena gasped and apologized, "Q-Quatre! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Quatre just smiled and propped himself up on his elbows as he raised his back off the ground slightly. He assumed to think that Relena was going to get off at him at that moment but as he rose his back off the ground slightly, his eyes widened when he noticed his face only an inch or so away from Relena's face. Quatre's cheeks tinted pink at that moment; losing his will to speak in the process as he gazed into Relena's eyes. Relena stared into his at that moment, only having it occur to her just now that Quatre was probably waiting for her to actually get off him. Blushing in embarrassment, Relena quickly got to her feet and wanted to back away from him to give him some space but suddenly tripped up on Quatre's feet and suddenly fell backwards onto the carpet.  
  
Quatre got himself into sitting position instantly and wanted to ask Relena if she was alright but as he looked at her, his eyes suddenly drifted some where down her form and suddenly went as red as a tomato. Relena sat herself up at that moment and brushed some of the carpet fluff off her black blazer and smoothed her short grey skirt down once more as she rose up from the ground. Quatre followed her example of getting off the carpet but his face was still bright red, he couldn't look at Relena at the moment, not when he saw more then he had expected to when he watched Relena fall to the ground. Now he could understand why Duo always went on about how good female's uniform were, the whole ideal of almost being able to look up them if girls weren't careful. How could he allow himself to stoop down to that level?  
  
Relena looked at him quizzically just now and said, "Sorry about that Quatre I.... Hey, are you ok?" Quatre jumped at that moment and tried shaking his head out of the imprinted image of Relena's underwear out of his head as he stammered, "Y-yes, of course... I um, I came to go find you s-since everyone is um; waiting so we b-better go ok? Good, let's go." Quatre hastily made his way towards the exit while Relena raised an eyebrow at his strange behaviour. Not having the time to question it she ran to catch up to him, 'Geez he is a pretty fast walker.'  
  
********************************  
  
Noticing Quatre and Relena approaching them, Duo smirked and said, "Well look who finally decides to show up!"  
  
Hilde glared at him and slapped him over the head saying, "Don't be so rude! I am sure Relena has a good reason as to why she was late."  
  
"Hi!!!" Mariemaia yelled out as she waved at them frantically as they approached their group, "What took you so long Rellie?"  
  
"I'm sorry; I went to see Mrs. Baker about my grade..." Relena replied, causing Quatre to look over at her in curiosity.  
  
"Ah ok, all good, all good. Well, let's get shopping!!! We have a lot to get for my party in a couple of weeks!!!" Mariemaia said as she jumped around excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, we only have around four or so hours until the most of the shops will close so we better get moving," Duo replied. Just as he was about to go to his car he looked over his shoulder at the girls and replied, "Hehe, how about coming with me for the ride ladies?"  
  
Mariemaia shook her head and replied, "I wanna ride with Mueller!" Looking over at him sweetly she wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head on his shoulder, causing him to smile at her.  
  
"Ah well, I am sure Hil and Rel wouldn't mind coming with me then," Duo said.  
  
"But what about Quatre!" Mariemaia shrieked, causing Quatre to look at her blankly.  
  
"Um, I will be alright Miss Mariemaia. It is only a short drive there an-"  
  
"No it is NOT alright!" Mariemaia interrupted, "You won't have anyone to talk to!" Turning her gaze to Relena she grinned widely and pointed to her saying, "You go ride with him Relena, to keep him company and all."  
  
It sounded more like a demand more then anything else from Relena's point of view but she obeyed and slowly nodded, looking over to Quatre as she did so. Although she couldn't help but notice him looking slightly, tense at the moment. She could assume that he was still probably annoyed at her for being so clumsy earlier on. Unknown to her though, that was definitely not the case.  
  
"Well fine, I can be generous," Duo replied. Wrapping his arm around Hilde's shoulders he winked and said, "Well, guess it's just you and me babe."  
  
Snorting at him she replied, "Hmph, you wish, Alex is coming with us too you know. Since I assume Mariemaia and Mueller want to be... alone."  
  
"He can go with Quatre and Relena can't he?" Duo pouted teasingly.  
  
"No!! I would much prefer it if he went with you Duo!" Mariemaia blurted out, causing everyone to look at her blankly. Slapping her hand over her mouth she just shrugged and nudged Mueller towards his car, not wanting to be questioned over her course of car partners just now. Duo, Alex and Hilde watched her suspiciously but decided to drop it as they headed towards Duo's car.   
  
"Just follow us ok Quatre?" Duo called out to him as he waved and got into his car, with Hilde getting into the front passenger seat and Alex at the back.  
  
Quatre nodded and turned to Relena saying, "Well, shall we go?" Relena turned her gaze towards his and instantly their collision in the main building came to mind again, along with him accidentally looking up her skirt as well. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts he couldn't help but blush again as he quickly headed towards his car, causing Relena to look at him blankly but went to follow after him.  
  
********************************  
  
While Quatre was keeping up with Duo's car as they drove towards some traffic lights, Quatre looked over at Relena briefly and noticed her to be staring out the passenger side window. They hadn't spoken a word to each other once they got into the car and Quatre's nerves weren't calming down because of it either.  
  
"Miss Relena," Quatre said, causing her to look over at him, "Earlier on you said that you went to see Mrs. Baker about your grade for the term... what was wrong with it exactly?"  
  
Relena flinched slightly at his question, it didn't occur to her until now that her grades basically reflected off his tutoring for her so, her seeing the teacher about her grade didn't look too good on his part. Why did she have a habit of blurting things out without thinking before hand about the consequences? Duo's and Mariemaia's bluntness seems to be rubbing off on her a bit now.  
  
"Well… Nothing really, my theory work is fine but, it's my practicals which have been holding me down. Since I haven't been doing them...," Relena murmured.  
  
Quatre didn't reply, he had to admit that they hadn't done very much work on music compared to her other subjects so, maybe they should start focusing on that now. There was still one thing he pondered about that though, ever since he had started coming to their school, he had never once seen Relena do any practicals in music and he really had no idea what instrument she actually learned. If he were to help her, he would need to know what she learned before hand. Luckily he had an undying love for music so what ever she did, he was almost certain that he could help her since he was familiar with most instruments, only that the piano and the violin were his favourites.  
  
"What instrument do you learn Miss. Relena?"  
  
"I don't learn an instrument... I, I do vocals..."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened at the mention of vocals, 'She sings!?' He had to admit that he was shocked at first, however the more he thought about it; the more it appeared to be the right thing for her to do. Being as sensitive and secretive as she was, singing would do her good to express her emotions through her lyrics and escape from reality as she lost herself to the sweet melodies of music in the background. He was very anxious to hear her sing now. As strange as it seemed, he could actually picture her with a very beautiful voice and from all the subjects they had, he wouldn't mind spending nights upon nights helping her with it if that meant getting the opportunity to hear her sing. "I would love to hear you sing sometime Miss Relena."  
  
Flinching at the mention of that, she turned to look at Quatre sadly before saying, "I don't think so."  
  
"Why is that?"   
  
"Because I'm not any good," Relena replied, looking down at the ground as she said this.  
  
Now this didn't make any sense to him. It was their last year of school so, she wouldn't have made it this far to do the subjects she does now without being good at them from the previous years, which included music too. How could she claim to say that she wasn't any good if she made this far? She must love singing if she continues to do it, after all, it wasn't hard to change classes if you weren't satisfied with it or if you weren't interested enough to keep going. She did dedicate herself since her theory work was always set at high standards and she did this on her own without any help from him so, why didn't she ever do practicals? She would be just as equally good at them as she was with theory right?  
  
"... I will be the judge of that," Quatre finally replied, causing Relena to turn to him in question, "I will decide for myself if whether or not you are good Miss Relena. You can't say that you are bad when I haven't even heard you sing yet." Softening his gaze, he smiled sweetly at her and replied, "Besides, I can't picture you not having a wonderful voice, I think you are just being modest."  
  
Relena couldn't help but smile slightly at that, she had to admit that she did like singing a lot but her heart wasn't into it anymore, the more she tried singing, the worse she got. She was tempted to tell Quatre that he actually has heard her sing, that day at the park when he first came to their school but no, no one should have heard that song and she felt too embarrest to admit that, that was her. Her voice was shocking since it kept cracking as she tried voicing out her lyrics and she had no passion to put any positive emotion into it either, it had nothing but sadness in it.  
  
Watching Relena from the corner of his eye, he took notice of her body language as she turned to look out the window again and noticed that something was bothering her right now. It wasn't hard to figure out that it had something to do with her singing, but what? There was so much about her that he still couldn't figure out and it was beginning to get harder and harder for him to not scream out at her to tell him what was wrong with her. But no, he wasn't about to pry into her personal life if she wasn't going to willingly tell him herself. Did she understand that he would always be willing to listen to her if she ever did feel like talking? He thought that spending a bit of time with her would help her feel that there were people out there who did care but, how long can he keep being with her like this knowing she was feeling so much pain...  
  
"Have you, ever had a dream Quatre?" Relena suddenly said, still keeping her gaze out the window.  
  
Looking at her blankly for a while before turning his vision back to the road he replied, "... Yes, I did."  
  
"Have you ever felt as though your dream could never come true?"  
  
"Not could, it will never come true. Not for me anyway..." Quatre replied sadly, causing Relena to look up at him in question.  
  
Sighing to himself, he figured that he better give this information to her since he, felt as though this had something to do with her not singing, "... I, I have always had a passion for music. When I was a child, I loved playing all different types of instruments, I had an obsession with trumpets when I was around seven but it got a little too noisy for my father's likings so I found love in the violin and eventually the piano as well," Smiling slightly at that, he continued, "I wanted to be a musician. Anyone who listened to me play always complimented me on how well I played so it gave me all the more encouragement to do it."  
  
"... So, what happened?"  
  
"My father deciding to make me the next heir to our translation company is what happened. I had no say about it either; I had to always spend my free time with him at the company so that I could learn from him how everything worked. Music was never meant to be my career in life, I could do so much better then that with the knowledge I have acquired, or so my father says. My dreams were shattered right before my eyes, and the irony to that was that they were my dreams and someone else had the power to destroy them... If I were to have a change in heart, I would have preferred to be the one to control what I did with my life, not have someone else run it for me."  
  
Relena stared at him in total shock, she never assumed that Quatre's life was set out and planned the way his father wanted it to be. She always assumed that Quatre wanted to do the things he did because he never showed any signs of negativity towards what he did in general. Was this the same for Dorothy too? It didn't seem right; she thought... she was the only one who had her life controlled by her parents. Even her dreams were shattered before her on more then one occasion, her parents didn't approve and just when she thought she had someone to stand by her to support what she did, they shattered her hopes as well.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Hearing the sounds of the audience applaud her performance, Relena smiled and bowed to them once more before making her way off stage for the next performance. Mrs. Baker was back stage and nodded her approval of how well she did, causing Relena to smile even more brightly. Making her way into the waiting rooms where other students were practicing up for their performances coming up, Relena headed towards the long table at the back of the room which had refreshments and went to get a cup of water. Just as she raised the drink to her lips, she felt a hand land on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. Turning her vision to who stood behind her, she smiled when she noticed it being Heero.  
  
"Heero, did you see my performance? Did you like it?"  
  
Heero nodded to her slowly but didn't say anything as he stared down at her blankly. Taking a few more sips of her water, Relena began feeling a little awkward with the way Heero was staring at her, and what was beginning to worry her was that he didn't look all to happy either. Lowering her cup to the table, she turned to Heero and asked, "Is something wrong?"  
  
Staring at her for a moment longer he replied, "I have to go out there soon but, I have something I need to talk to you about once I finish."  
  
Nodding to him she replied, "Alright, do you want me to wait for you here?"  
  
"Can you wait for me outside?"  
  
"Yes, of course. Good luck with your performance."  
  
Nodding his reply at her, he turned to leave but before he could go he stopped and turned back to look at her once more. Relena just looked at him in curiosity, since she assumed that maybe he was getting nervous she smiled at him to give him confidence she said, "You will do great Heero, you are the best guitar player I know."   
  
Smiling at her slightly, Heero walked back up to her once more and lifted his right hand up behind her neck and lowered his head towards hers to kiss her gently. Brushing his lips against hers, he pulled her closer to him so that he could kiss her more deeply. He could feel Relena slightly react to his kisses but it was because of her lack of response that he decided to end it there. Staring at her for another brief moment he turned and headed towards the stage area, for his last performance.  
  
Relena sat herself down on one of the benches by the school hall and stared up at the stars glistening above her. She couldn't help but smile at how beautiful the night was, even though she noticed that some clouds were beginning to form up above her now. Everything seemed so great at the moment, smiling at nothing in particular, she felt above the world right now. It was because of Heero, he had always been there for her when she needed it and he was being so supportive of her with what ever she did, he was so sweet. It was because of him that she is able to sing so well, knowing that he is there watching her and listening to what she sings, it helped give her a lot of confidence and felt as though she could sing to the world if he was there to support her.  
  
While she was deep in thought about him at that moment, she failed to notice Heero approach her. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before turning his eyes up at the night sky. What ever she was thinking, she seemed to be entranced by what she was staring up at in the sky, though he couldn't see anything fascinating about it. Lowering his gaze back down to her, he took a deep breath and said, "Hello Relena."  
  
Jumping at the sound of her name, Relena turned her vision towards Heero and smiled brightly at him saying, "Oh hello Heero, sorry about that. I didn't see you."  
  
"Its fine," Heero answered as she sat himself down beside her.  
  
After a few moments of silence between them, Relena sighed and said, "Its beautiful tonight isn't it?"   
  
Heero did not reply. He couldn't. Looking at her now while she actually looked to be happy, he wasn't sure if he could go through with what he had to tell her. It was for both his benefit and hers, but he can't deny that it won't be easy for both of them to cope with. She may get upset, but in time, she will heal, because there will be someone there for her to ease her pain, and make her forget. Unlike him, he will be cursing himself for life with what he was about to do. Sure he could go on as though it won't bother him and live life to the fullest like nothing had ever affected him but, this was not something he wanted to do, but he had to, he had no choice.  
  
Turning her vision towards Heero, she smiled sweetly at him and said, "Heero, there is something I-"  
  
"Relena; tonight was my last performance..." Heero suddenly blurted out, causing Relena to stare at him wide eyed, "I'm going to be dropping out of music."  
  
"What!? But, but why!?" Relena asked, looking at him in total shock.  
  
Getting up from the bench, Heero turned his back on Relena and said, "I will not be having anything to do with music when I finish school, the careers I am thinking of pursuing have no relation to music at all, so there is no point in me doing it anymore..."  
  
"Heero! You promised me that we would start our own band together. You said that you would help me reach that goal!" Relena yelled at him as she got off the bench herself.  
  
"I will still help you; I just won't be studying music anymore that's all."  
  
"I can't do this on my own! How could you promise me such lies... you promised..." Relena said, feeling tears swell up in her eyes, "Why... why the change of heart so suddenly!?"  
  
Taking note of the anger in her voice, Heero turned and approached her slowly, causing Relena to glare at him. Staring down at her, Heero kissed her lips firmly and pulled away to look into her eyes. He could see that she was angry, not to mention hurt, but what he wanted to see in her eyes was any sign of emotion for him. Shaking his head in disappointment, Heero stepped away from her, and looked at her with his emotionless gaze. As much as he wanted to make a difference in her life, he noticed now that he had been wasting his time. There was no future for them being together, it wasn't meant to be.  
  
"Relena, I think it would be best if we stopped seeing each other as well. It isn't working out, I'm sure you know that as well," Heero said, noticing his words crush Relena's heart in an instant.  
  
Relena stared at Heero blankly, she didn't want to believe what was coming out of his mouth; it had to be a joke right? Staring into his eyes, Relena could feel the tears cascade down her cheeks now when she noticed Heero was being deadly serious about what he was saying. Where did it go wrong? What did she do to him? Opening her mouth to speak, she felt as though she just suddenly lost the will to speak. She felt as though the darkness of the night was shadowing her surroundings now as she drowned herself into despair. Shaking in fear, she felt, heard and saw nothing, she was alone, with her heart, hopes and dreams shattered.  
  
Relena jumped when she noticed Heero approach her, instantly she backed away from him and saw him as nothing but a stranger. She couldn't understand why he was doing this to her, for two years they had been together and from what she gathered, they never had any problems so... what could have caused this?  
  
"What did I do? How did I hurt you? Did I mistreat you? Or do I not meet your standards of a perfect girlfriend...?" Relena whispered in question.  
  
"Relena, don't pretend like you care," Heero suddenly said, causing Relena to stare at him blankly.  
  
She couldn't take this anymore, it seemed as though their relationship revolved around Heero and not her. What ever he says goes and she had no right to question, only that she had to accept, there was no other choice. Turning her back on him she began running away into the lonely darkness, she wept and cried out in pain as she ran and ran. All of a sudden, she felt droplets of rain land in her face, looking up towards the night sky; she noticed clouds suddenly form up as it began to rain. So much for a peaceful night, it seemed as though the night itself was relating itself to the pain she was feeling right now. Collapsing by the nearest tree, Relena hugged her jacket closely to her body as she continued to cry her heart out, knowing no one was around to hear her she didn't hold anything back.  
  
Unknown to her though, someone was baring notice to her pain. Leaning by the school building, the figure kept them selves shrouded in the shadows so that they wouldn't be seen. Watching Relena scream and cry out in despair, the figure watched her with saddened eyes and felt very tempted to go and comfort her right now but no, they knew that she wanted to be alone right now, no one could take away the pain she was feeling. Wiping away some of the rain water which collected itself around their short, mustard coloured hair, the figure turned their emerald coloured eyes up towards the sky and stared endlessly as the rain continued to fall.  
  
Heero made no move to follow Relena, he knew she would be upset but, he wasn't expecting for it to hurt her so badly. As he approached the school hall, he couldn't help but feel about ready to cry himself, he could already feel moisture forming up in his eyelids. He didn't want this, the clenching in his heart made it obvious to him but he couldn't continue leading on with this lie anymore. It will get better, for both of them in time. Why didn't he feel convinced of that though? He felt so guilty that he couldn't help Relena after all. He could never break down that impenetrable barrier around her soul where she was hurting so badly and even his affection towards her went unnoticed as well.   
  
Before he entered the building, he stopped when he suddenly felt someone watching him. Keeping his gaze on the back entrance of the building, Heero could sense someone standing in the shadows to his right. The figure leaned themselves against the wall and folded their arms saying, "How did it go?"  
  
"It was done, that's all that matters," Heero replied. Before reaching out for the door, Heero sighed to himself and added, "... Please look after her." The figured turned their black eyes towards Heero in question and watched as Heero entered the building, closing the door behind him as he left. Heero stood where he was for a moment and wondered if this was really the right thing to do for Relena. Could he really hand her down to another in hope that she could be happier then what she 'thought' she was with him? 'Only time will tell.'  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Trowa stared down at his food for a moment as he turned his vision up towards the people sitting with him. Beside him sat Lucrezia as she smiled and nodded at the girl with short reddish/brown curly hair and went to add something to their conversation as the girl with curly hair laughed and clapped her hands together. Beside the girl with curly hair sat a man with short light brown hair with ice blue eyes as he smiled and listened into their conversation quietly. Trowa found no interest with what the girls were taking about and looked down at his watch. The girl with short curly hair took notice of this and asked, "Are you getting bored Trowa?"  
  
Looking up at her, Trowa shook his head and replied, "I'm fine," before reaching out for his coffee.  
  
"Well little brother, if you tried joining in our conversation then maybe you wouldn't be so bored. It's a free for all gossip session after all." Smiling at Trowa she turned to look at the man beside her and nudged his arm with her elbow saying, "Same goes for you too sweetie."  
  
Smiling at her, the man wrapped his arm around her shoulders and replied, "I am content enough as it is just listening to you two ladies drone on already. It is quite amusing actually so I'm hardly bored." The girl with curly hair smiled sweetly at him and kissed him briefly on the lips before starting up her conversation with Lucrezia once more.   
  
Sipping his coffee for a moment, Trowa's eyes drifted over his sister's head and noticed some familiar faces come into the dinning area of the cafe they were eating.  
  
"Ahh!!! Look who's here!!!" Mariemaia shrieked as she threw Mueller her food tray and went dashing towards Trowa. Wrapping her arms around Trowa's neck tightly she shook him about a bit saying, "Yay!! It has been like AGES since I have seen you out of school like this!!" Slapping him over the head she asked, "You haven't been bothered enough to come visit me either you meany!!"   
  
Trowa sighed and lifted his hands up to un-wrap Mariemaia's viselike lock on him and replied, "Hello Mariemaia."  
  
Narrowing her gaze on him, Mariemaia couldn't stay frustrated for long when she turned her vision up to the curly haired girl and said, "Hi Cathrine!!! I haven't spoken to you for a while now either!!"  
  
Smiling at her, Cathrine raised her arms out towards her and said, "You are definitely right about that, come and give me a hug!" Mariemaia jumped up and down excitedly as she quickly walked around the table to her side of the table as she held put her own arms out to embrace the girl into a big friendly hug.  
  
Duo and the others came around the corner at that moment and as they noticed Mariemaia in deep conversation with everyone at the table, Duo said, "Well, let's get a table beside theirs then." Duo, Mueller, Alex and Quatre occupied the table beside Lucrezia and Cathrine whereas Relena and Hilde occupied the table beside Trowa and the other man.  
  
Quatre watched Mariemaia with the people at Trowa's table with curiosity and noticed how comfortable and open she was being with them. Curious about it, Quatre turned his vision to Duo who was sitting across from him and was about to ask how she knew them until he heard another voice speak out to him suddenly, "Hello Quatre, it has been a while."   
  
Turning to the tall woman with short purplish/blackish hair, Quatre smiled and said, "Hello Miss Lucrezia, it has been a while indeed. How have you been?"  
  
"Oh, alright I guess. Although, I have been a little busy with Uni. and everything." Looking to everyone around her table, she turned back to Quatre and asked, "Shall I introduce you to everyone here?"   
  
Quatre nodded in response and replied, "Yes, I would like that, thank you."  
  
Smiling back at him, Lucrezia turned to look at Cathrine who was sitting opposite from her and said, "This is Cathrine Bloom, Trowa's older sister." Hearing her name being mentioned, Cathrine stopped talking to Mariemaia for a moment as she turned her gaze towards Quatre.  
  
"Ah, Quatre is it? Nice to meet you," Cathrine greeted as she held out her hand to him.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you too Miss Cathrine," Quatre replied as he raised his hand to hers, shaking it firmly. Although, one thing he questioned was the mention of her being Trowa's sister. Why did they have different last names? Plus their appearances weren't very similar either. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he figured that it wasn't his place to ask such things at the moment.  
  
Once Cathrine released her hold on Quatre's hand she raised an eyebrow at him before Lucrezia replied, "He's very polite isn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, I was wondering that myself. I thought I had just misheard him or something. 'Miss' huh? Hehehe, how cute!"  
  
"Yes, he is such a gentleman. He is Relena's boyfriend," Lucrezia added, causing both Quatre and Relena to jump and redden at the mention of that.  
  
"We're just friends!" Both Quatre and Relena said at once, causing the both of them to look at each other speechless. Everyone laughed suddenly at their little outbursts, causing the both of them to redden more as they sunk into their chairs in embarrassment.  
  
"Awww, how cute! Even if you say you aren't together, you two just look simply darling together. I think you two would make a good match," Cathrine teased as she eyed both Quatre and Relena suspiciously.  
  
Lucrezia tried keeping in her laughter at their little act and continued, "Sitting beside Cathrine here is her boyfriend, Treize Khushrenada who is also Mariemaia's uncle if you didn't know already."  
  
"Nice to meet you Quatre," Treize replied as he nodded towards Quatre.  
  
"Yes, nice to meet you too. Although, I am a bit discouraged that I haven't had the chance to meet you sooner since I have been friends with Miss Mariemaia for a while now," Quatre replied sadly.  
  
"Please don't upset yourself over such small matters Quatre; we were bound to meet each other sooner or later. Besides, I know a fair bit about you from being your sister's fencing teacher, not to mention Marie has said a lot about you as well."  
  
Mariemaia smiled as she sat herself down beside Hilde and said, "Yeah! I was so excited when I first met you Quatre; since that meant another new friend, and what got better is that we gained another great friend because of you." Looking over to Relena she smiled and winked at her as she went to eating her food. Relena looked at Mariemaia thoughtfully at that moment and couldn't help but smile slightly at that. Trowa noticed this as well, and couldn't help but smile at Mariemaia's remark as well. She was always such a sweet and friendly person, always looking to the positive things in people, it was no wonder she was basically friends with the whole senior school.  
  
"Come on guys! We better hurry up since we need to get some shopping done for my party!" Mariemaia announced as she took a mouth full of spaghetti, "I hope Trowa has told you Cathy that you are both invited, you too Lulu."  
  
"Yes, both Trowa and Treize told me about it and I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Cathrine replied, smiling brightly.  
  
"Are you sure you want me to come?" Lucrezia asked uncertainly, "You don't just have to invite me because I am here."  
  
"No way!!! I want you to come, Heero is invited too you know. Basically everyone at school is invited, it's my eighteenth after all so I want to have the bestest time!!!" Mariemaia said, taking a large mouth full of cola afterwards.  
  
"Oh ok, thank you so much Mariemaia," Lucrezia said as she went to take a bite out of her sandwich.  
  
While everyone got into deep conversations with each other about Mariemaia's birthday party, Relena got up from her seat and went to go buy a drink. Trowa took notice of this and went to follow after her since he had wanted to talk to her over a few things for a while now. While he was heading out though, he couldn't help but take note of the way Quatre was watching him in curiosity as he disappeared around the corner after her.  
  
Relena looked over the fridges for a moment before deciding to just stick with getting a bottle of water. When she closed the door though, she noticed someone standing behind her by the reflection off the glass door. Looking over her shoulder she took notice of it being Trowa and smiled slightly as she went to go pay for her drink. Trowa continued to watch her closely as she paid for her drink but once she started making her way back to the dining area, Trowa said, "Can we talk for a moment?"  
  
Stopping at the sound of Trowa's request, Relena nodded and turned to face him, she was expecting him to say something like that since it was rather odd of him to just follow her like this if nothing was on his mind. Heading out the cafe, they both started taking a short walk down the wide mall as they walked past many different shops and many different crowds of people their shopping in hand. It wasn't until they reached the centre of the mall that Trowa nodded towards the direction of benches and went to go sit down.   
  
Sitting down beside him, Relena remained silent as she looked towards him, waiting for him to speak out what ever was on his mind.  
  
"...Are you happy with them?" Trowa asked as he turned his emerald eyes towards her. Noticing the way she was looking at him in total confusion, Trowa added, "Duo's group is who I am referring to, are you happy being with them?"  
  
"Of course, why would you ask such a thing?" Relena answered, causing Trowa to stare at her in disbelief. She could see that he wasn't too convinced with her answer, the way he was staring at her confirmed it, but as much as she didn't want to follow up on the subject, she could feel Trowa's searching gaze on her as though it was forcing her to say more.  
  
"They are really nice, all of them. I am happy that they had accepted me into their group but, we had been on different levels from each other for so long that I just can't forget that difference between us."  
  
"... Friends forgive each other; no one is expected to be perfect all the time. I just hope you can see that they aren't going to think less of you if they were to see you for who... you really are."  
  
Looking down at the ground sadly, Relena closed her eyes and shook her head saying, "I, I don't think can, I couldn't. I don't want to burden them with my problems."  
  
"Really? Well what about me? Did you ever think that when you told me things which were troubling you at the time?"  
  
Opening her mouth to speak, she hesitated for a moment and decided to stay silent. He had her there, once again. That was one of the things which annoyed her about Trowa, he always knew what he was talking about and always won with having the last word, no matter what the situation was. His knowledge on people were never wrong, even if he may make assumptions from time to time, he still had a way to make people freeze in shock with what he would speak about them as though he had just read their thoughts... It reminded her of Quatre. While Trowa seemed to read people's heads, Quatre seemed to read people's hearts.  
  
"I understand how you know so much about Duo's group now," Relena suddenly replied, causing Trowa to look at her blankly, "I never knew your sister dated Mariemaia's uncle. Have they been together long?"  
  
"A few years I guess," Trowa answered, "I think they are getting to the stage of considering marriage soon."  
  
"I'm happy for them," Relena answered, smiling slightly.  
  
"Relena, remember what I said to you at Quatre's place that day?" Trowa asked, causing Relena to flinch at the mention of that. Noticing this, Trowa reached out for her chin and tilted her head towards his so that he could get a clear look at her eyes, "Don't forget what I said. For you to be happy, you need to free yourself of these past memories which have been haunting you for years now. You can't heal yourself over on your own, you have been doing this for so long that you have made things harder for yourself. Heero and I have tried helping you, even if you don't want to acknowledge that, it's the truth." Staring at her for a moment, he noticed Relena's eyes turn glassy as she closed her eyes and whispered, "I remember... but why him?"  
  
"He seems to have a gift, a gift to be able to read people's souls. Eyes are like a doorway into your soul, and I feel as though he is one of those people who could dig real deep into your inner self to find what it is that troubles you. Those feelings then swell themselves within his own soul and he uses that to understand why you would be affected by it." Trowa knew this sounded very corny to believe but that day when he confronted Quatre, he was almost certain that he spoke the truth.  
  
Staring at him blankly, Relena wondered if he was beginning to go crazy or something. She felt like laughing at Trowa's words just now but, while she thought about it, it did seem possible. She remembered what Duo said to her at one stage.   
  
'It helps to talk to him you know. He helped me understand things clearer, not to mention that I have learned to cope with everything now. I was just as stubborn about my past as well, but what I find strange about him is the fact that he always seems so understanding you know. Like he can feel your pain or something... Maybe it's just me but it still makes me wonder about him. But getting back to the point, Quatre seems to understand people even without experiencing what ever they went though.'  
  
"I will let you think it over," Trowa suddenly said, causing her to snap out of her thoughts, "I will tell everyone know that you will be back soon." With that said, Trowa began walking back towards the cafe while at the same time, Relena watched him go and whispered, "I wish... things could have been different between us..."  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Parking on the curb by the Winner estate, Trowa got out of the car and began making his way towards the intercom by the front gate. Relena quickly got out of the passenger seat and raced towards him yelling, "Trowa wait!" Trowa was just about to raise his hand to the button before Relena called out to him, turning to Relena he looked at her with a blank expression and waited for her to continue.  
  
Looking through the gates of Quatre's home briefly, Relena turned back to Trowa and asked, "What are we doing here?"  
  
"You should be in there with them," Trowa replied before raising his hand towards the intercom once more.  
  
Taking hold of Trowa's hand, Relena looked at him critically and said, "So you dragged me out of Wufei's home just to bring me here to study, all because I 'should' be here and not his place?"  
  
Unnerved by Relena's actions, Trowa stared down at her and said, "You weren't studying when I was there and as I anticipated, I knew something like that was going to happen." He was referring to the way Wufei had behaved around her. It was lucky that he turned up when he did, otherwise things could have gotten a lot more serious.  
  
Looking at Trowa in confusion, Relena lowered her hand from his and said, "I'm sure, he had a reason..."  
  
"Don't try to cover his actions Relena, you two aren't together anymore so you shouldn't defend him like you are currently doing."  
  
"I needed him to help me with my English exam, how am I going to do it now?"  
  
"Dorothy can help you."  
  
Staring at him blankly for a moment, she looked at him sadly and asked, "Trowa, why did you come to Wufei's place? If you were against me going, why didn't you say anything earlier?"  
  
Staring at her for a moment, Trowa walked towards her and reached out for her arms. Raising them up towards him, he suddenly rolled up her sleeves and revealed what he was hoping not to see. Her gasp in pain earlier on when Wufei grabbed her arms confirmed it. Looking down at the front of her arms, Trowa took note of the numerous finger printed bruises on her arms, most of them were healing over but there were still a few which still had a strong purplish blue colour over them. 'So, it was true that Relena did get grabbed at the hockey stadium…'  
  
Relena's eyes widened at what he was doing and tried pulling her arms away from him, but Trowa's grip on her elbows were too strong for her to pull away from.  
  
"... Does this answer your question now?" Trowa said, causing Relena to turn her head off to the side as she stared down at the ground sadly.  
  
"It was my fault!" Relena cried out, "I didn't love him enough, I deserved this."  
  
What suddenly caught her off guard though was when Trowa suddenly flipped her arms over, not expecting to find bruises but something more damaging, more life threatening in other words. This time when Relena pulled away from him, Trowa decided to let her go since he saw what he originally wanted to see.  
  
Staring down at the ground in shame, Relena felt tears coming to her eyes again a she tried holding them back. She didn't pay any attention to what Trowa was doing but after a moment of her trying to gain self control again she suddenly heard him say, "The gates open Relena." Turning to look at him, she went under a massive panic when Trowa was already making his way to the front door.   
  
Running through the gates as they closed after her, Relena grabbed hold of Trowa's arm and said, "You won't say anything about this will you? Please say you won't."  
  
Keeping his gaze forward he asked, "Why not?"  
  
"I don't want to cause anymore trouble, this is my problem; I don't want anyone else getting mixed up in it. Please understand why." Leaning her head on his back, Relena closed her eyes and whispered, "I deserve what ever is thrown at me..."  
  
Sighing in defeat, Trowa looked over his shoulder and said, "... It has nothing to do with me so I have no right to speak of other people's business." With that said; Trowa began walking forward and started heading up the steps to the front door of Quatre's home. Trowa had to admit that he was impressed; the Winners certainly didn't hesitate to spoil themselves over their riches. What surprised him though was when he noticed Quatre staring at him blankly as both he and Relena approached the door.  
  
Quatre couldn't speak, he was confused and worried all at the same time, wasn't Relena suppose to be at Wufei's place? Why was Trowa suddenly with her? Trowa just stared at him blankly as well, he could see the questioning gaze Quatre had fixed on him and waited for him to make the first move. Relena looked between the two in total confusion, they looked a though they were trying to stare each other down or something.  
  
"Who's at the door Quatre!!!" Mariemaia's voice echoed as she looked over Quatre's shoulder, "Ah!! Trowa!! Relena!! It's so great to see you both!!" Pushing her way past Quatre, Mariemaia smiled brightly at Relena as she approached her but once she saw her face; Mariemaia's smile withered away at the sadness detected in Relena's eyes. Turning to look at Trowa in curiosity, she noticed him looking towards Relena as well and nodded to Mariemaia as he turned to leave. He would talk to her later, that's what he was indicating to her.   
  
Looking towards Relena once more, she smiled slightly as she guided her into the house saying, "Wow Rellie, I'm so glad you could make it, you should see the amount of work we have been doing. Absolutely nothing hahaha!!!" Relena could tell that she was trying to cheer her up, but Relena couldn't even force herself to smile at the moment.  
  
"Wait!" Quatre called out to Trowa as he began walking after him. Trowa didn't stop though, he continued walking towards the front gate as though he hadn't heard Quatre at all.  
  
"What did Wufei do to her?" Quatre suddenly asked, causing Trowa to stop in his steps, "What happened between them? What made you suddenly bring her here?"  
  
Turning his head towards Quatre, Trowa stared at him expressionless for a moment before asking, "What makes you think Wufei did something to her?"  
  
"It's not hard to figure out that much Trowa. I find it quite odd that she suddenly turns up at my house obviously very depressed about something, then seeing you here to just drop her off and leave doesn't exactly make sense to me either."  
  
"... Don't you want her here?" Trowa asked.  
  
"I didn't say that, I am merely asking what happened."  
  
"What if I tell you that it isn't my place to tell you someone else's personal problems?"  
  
"What if I say that I can't help her the way you want me to unless you give me some answers," Quatre suddenly said, causing Trowa to stare at him speechless. If anything he was expecting Quatre to say, he definitely wasn't expecting to hear that since, that was actually his reason for bring her here in the first place. Turning to face his whole body towards Quatre, Trowa slowly walked up to him, keeping his eyes fixed on Quatre's as he did so.  
  
"If you can read my thoughts like you did just now, why would you need me to explain Relena's pain?"  
  
"I can see that she is hurt, lost, lonely and depressed, but I can't read people's minds, no one can do that but if you know why she is hurting then why aren't you helping her?"  
  
"I have tried, but she has said nothing to me. I know a lot about her I will admit but it is different hearing things from some else's mouth compared to her own. I am sure you can understand the differences. The thing I have noticed about you though is that you seem to be able to understand someone else's pain as though you had experienced it yourself. If anyone is going to help her, you would be the best person for the job."  
  
"I am no miracle worker Trowa; I can't just magically wish away her pain like it was nothing."  
  
"No, I don't expect that but your feelings for her would make it almost seem possible," Trowa suddenly said, causing Quatre to stare at him wide eyed. Now it was Quatre's turn to be put on the spot, except the difference was that he had nothing to say back at that, causing Trowa to smirk at him slightly.   
  
Turning to leave once again, Trowa exited out the gate and headed towards his car. Within a few moments, his car started up and he was gone, causing Quatre to stare endlessly at the gate where he last saw him go, questioning himself on what had just been said between them.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
'You can never wish away your problems, but trying to pretend as though they don't affect you is what makes things worse for yourself. Everyone has to face them sooner or later in order to live a happier life. Refusing to recognize them while they are still fresh in your mind and soul will lead to you finding it harder and harder top cope with everyday life, and will eventually lead you to death. Relena, you can't remain hidden in your own little world of despair forever, I just hope Quatre will be able to break through your barriers, for your sake. The problem with this though is that Quatre can't continue carrying everyone else's pain like this too, he needs to stop and recognize his own pain as well. Hopefully you two will be able to help each other out, but with the way things are going, I feel as though only one of you will find happiness, whereas the other will continue down the road of sadness.'  
  
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Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, I know it has been a while since I have last updated but I am very busy at the moment with school work and everything so I won't be able to update every week like I use to ^_^ The other reason why this has taken me so long to do was because I have never been satisfied with the ideas I tried sticking to in writing this. I will be honest and tell you all that this is my ninth version of Chapter 11 o_O Luckily I have written a version which I am actually satisfied with now. Well, sort of, I can never appreciate what I do. The next part to this will mainly be focusing on Heero, Wufei and Sylvia's group, I know now that I need to start revealing their purposes in this story, their link to Relena anyway.   
  
Thank you to all of those who have been reviewing my story *hugs* You have all been very supportive and I thank you for the help you have been giving me.  
  
Time Whoadie: Thank you for the ideas on what I should focus on in my story now. I have thought long and hard about what direction this story should go in now and hopefully, I hope it works out.  
  
Gigicerisier: I love the way how you take the time to analise and quote what you mention in your reviews ^_~ I know that some of the things you have been questioning yourself hasn't been mentioned yet but please be patient. It hasn't been over looked so don't worry.  
  
WhiteRoze: You have been extremely helpful as well. I have taken into account that I need more 4xR development and I will start building that up dramatically as well. Hehehe, I am sure you will like it.  
  
Firefrost: Thank you for pointing out my paragraph problem to me ^_^ I will be sure to change that when I get the chance as well. Thank you for also teaching me some interesting factors about writing as well. I feel as though I can be more confident with what I write now hehe.  
  
Crystal: Thank you for your emailed review to my story. I have practically been talking to you about my story the most and I am sorry if I bored you endlessly with my constant chatter about it. What's lucky for you now is that you get to hear of my droning about the next chapter hehehe.  
  
I don't know how long part two of this chapter will take but I can assure you that I will work on it when ever I get the chance. Thank you for spending the time to read this extremely long chapter and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! ^_~ Bye for now!!!  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	12. Chapter 11 Part 2

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 11 (Part 2)  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Gazing about at the latest fashions around the walls of what appeared to be their fifth clothes store, Midii turned to Sylvia and noticed her to still be deciding over what outfit to get again. What Midii could not understand is that she had picked out about six or seven different outfits so far, all for Mariemaia's birthday too. She didn't think that Sylvia would be so determined to go through all this trouble either, she didn't even like Mariemaia so why? Looking over to Meiran, she noticed her to be leaning against the doorframe entrance of the store, with her arms folded over her chest with her shopping bags hanging of her right hand. Both Midii and Meiran had picked out what they were going to wear a few hours ago and here they are, waiting on Sylvia to pick out the next outfit, never being satisfied with anything.  
  
Turning to another clothes rack, Sylvia smiled and quickly made her way towards it. Skimming through the tops for her particular size she picked out some really cute boob-tube tops that went down in a 'V' shape down the bottom, which had pictures of a butterfly over the front of them, decorated in silver glitter. Holding it up to her chest, she took note of the top revealing a lot of her stomach and couldn't help but smile at that. Turning it over, her smile grew even wider when she noticed that the back of the top was cut half way down in an upside down 'V' shape, causing the loose flaps of the top to be tied together by lace.  
  
Picking out a baby pink and blue coloured top, Sylvia walked towards Meiran and Midii and held both tops up for them to see, asking, "What do you think suits me best you reckon?"  
  
Comparing the two tops with Sylvia's form, Midii answered, "Um, I think the pink one would look better on you."   
  
What caught her off guard though was when Sylvia suddenly shot her a dirty look saying, "Oh, so are you saying I don't look good in blue?"  
  
Midii's eyes widened at that remark and shook her head vigorously saying, "What? No no no, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, you look great in anything you wear Sylvia so, it's hard to pick something over the other when it comes to you." Sylvia still had that dangerous glint in her eyes, causing Midii to shift a little in nervousness. She wanted an opinion didn't she? What did she say wrong? Every time she opens her mouth she always seems to be getting herself into trouble.  
  
"What do you think Meiran?" Sylvia asked as she turned her attention to the Chinese girl, "Pink or blue?"  
  
Glancing over the two articles of clothing, Meiran turned her gaze to Sylvia and replied, "Honestly, I think you have too many pink and blue tops already. Try getting something different for a change like red or black."  
  
'Hmph, well that was rude,' Midii thought to herself. What surprised her though was when Sylvia smiled and went back to the clothes rack again, following what Meiran had said to her. How did that work? Midii could have sworn that her remark was a lot more polite than Meirans, and she didn't get in trouble at all! Sighing to her self, Midii wondered why she even bothered; no matter what she did it was never right.  
  
While Sylvia was looking for something red or black, she couldn't help but smile at how good Meiran could be at times like this, she always had a better use than what Midii ever did. For example, she liked how Meiran seemed to have such a good fashion sense about things like this, unlike Midii who always said that she looked good in everything she wore. Yes, Sylvia KNEW she looked good in what ever she wore but she wasn't about to grab every colour of the same top here just to prove that point. It was true that she had many soft coloured tops in her wardrobes at home already so maybe going for a stronger colour like red or black might be best to get this time.  
  
Looking between the red and black boob-tube tops, she was now indecisive about what colour she should get between these two now. She wanted to pick something which would make her stand out at Mariemaia's party. Being as attractive as she was, Sylvia wanted so badly to make a scene when she entered the house. She was not about to have Mariemaia, Hilde or even that useless Relena show her up on that night, she wanted to make them jealous, she wanted them to look and hate her for her beauty.   
  
As much as she was also going because of her popularity and status reasons, her main mission over all for even thinking of going was to make the guys swoon for her. She loved seeing their longing gazes as she would walk pass them, but it was too unfortunate for them that she only had her eyes set on one man and one alone. She pitied the fools who would obsess over her when they don't even deserve her even looking at them, she never gave a care but they would always have their uses, which is why she wouldn't turn and tell them to get a life. Hopefully her outfit will award her with the attention she is hoping to seek, if anything, she only wanted one specific person to notice her.  
  
Smiling to herself, she looked between Midii and Meiran and raised the tops up to them asking innocently, "What colour do you think Quatre would like best?"  
  
Meiran just raised an eyebrow at her, while Midii looked at her blankly. Noticing the shocked faces on her friends, Sylvia just shrugged and said, "What? It's not like I'm asking advice on lingerie or anything... Although, I haven't actually considered that yet."  
  
"Oh please don't give yourself any ideas." Meiran said smirking at her, "Anyway, Quatre doesn't seem like the type to judge people on their fashion sense and colour. Quite frankly, that outfit alone would make him turn and stare, no matter what colour it was."  
  
"Good point," Sylvia said as she looked between the tops once more.  
  
"I assume you are going to make your move at the party huh?"  
  
"I think that would be the perfect place to open myself up to him. Not only will everyone bare witness to me gaining myself the most perfect guy in our whole school, I will also be able to take note of all the crushed, hurt faces of Quatre's fan club." Narrowing her gaze on the clothes in her hand, she tightened her grip on the tops and smirked when she finished, "Not to mention, Relena's heart. Her reaction will be priceless."  
  
Meiran flinched at the mention of Relena's name, "Geez, you just had to bring that name up didn't you. I can't stand the sight of her, the bloody weak, heartless bitch..." Pausing for a moment she looked to Midii and stated, "Don't you find it quite disturbing that Relena is trying to take Wufei back for herself again?"  
  
Midii didn't answer; instead she turned her gaze away from theirs and bit her lower lip, causing Meiran and Sylvia to stare at her in question. Narrowing her eyes on Midii, Meiran noticed there being a sign of weakness in her eyes just now. Her anger was flaring as she took notice of this. Pushing herself off the doorframe, Meiran stomped towards Midii and without hesitation she slapped her hard across the face, causing Midii to instantly look up at the Chinese girl in shock, not to mention pain.  
  
"Don't be so damn weak Midii! If I am not mistaken YOU are the one with Wufei, not her. If anything SHE is the one that's supposed to be hurting, not you." Grabbing her by the shirt she glared straight into Midii's blue eyes and said, "Don't feel any sympathy towards her all because she has nothing or no one to turn to. She did this to herself and she made the mistake of treating my cousin in such a disrespectful way, she does NOT deserve another chance. Don't you dare even consider giving up and allowing Relena to reenter his life. YOU treat him right, you love him with all your heart because you are his girlfriend, as all girlfriends should. HE is just being too stubborn to look and see what he has right in front of him."  
  
Midii stared at her blankly for a moment and slowly nodded, causing Meiran to nod back and slowly released her hold on the blonde girl's top, "Don't forget that, show him what he will lose if he were to give himself up to false hope on a girl who wouldn't even know the meaning of love even if it were stamped on her head."  
  
Sylvia felt about ready to laugh, she loved the way Meiran always got so worked up so easily like that, she was so much like Wufei that it almost worried her since Meiran was probably the female version of him. Well it seemed logical to think so since her family and his were very close, after all, Meiran's mother lived with Wufei's family. Both of them were always together, which was also another reason why they couldn't stand each other as well. They were both so independent and prided themselves so much on their own capabilities that just the sight of one another flooded their hearts with nothing but rivalry, to prove who was the more respected child carrying on the wishes of their family traditions and honour.  
  
"Well, I am just going to go try these on ok?" Sylvia said, smiling at the two as she headed towards the change rooms. Watching Sylvia disappear from their sight, Meiran looked to Midii once more before deciding to walk around the store just to pass the time, who knows, she may find something else she may want to buy. Midii on the other hand felt about ready to collapse to the ground, she felt so shaken up at the moment that she was almost afraid that Meiran was going to kill her or something. It was behaviour like that which made Midii feel so helpless that she could never speak her mind.  
  
Meiran's statement just now, 'YOU treat him right, you love him with all your heart because you are his girlfriend, as all girlfriends should,' that statement would be correct logically, however it didn't apply to her since she wasn't exactly considered Wufei's girlfriend. Yes, she was always by his side, yes she spent all the time she could with him and yes, she would get in bed with him when ever he needed it, but none of that considered her being in a relationship with him. She wished she was, and would say she was, but it was all a lie. As much as she would express her love for him, not once has he ever returned that love. Midii had always thought that he was never the type to express his emotions very well and because of it, she thought he proved it to her when ever they had sex.  
  
Closing her eyes tightly, not wanting to let the tears flow, she couldn't deny that she was jealous of Relena. What did she possess which Midii didn't? Midii even bared witness to Relena never showing any sign of affection for Wufei, even when he would try being forward with her, she just went along with it like she was a puppet, being controlled and led by the puppet master who did with her as they pleased, that was Wufei's and Relena's relationship in Midii's eyes. She never saw anything more to it, although there had to be something more between them to make Wufei feel so drawn to her like he is. Relena never loved him! Why does he continue to hang on to something which will never be! Then again... can she talk?  
  
She loves Wufei and would suffer without him, it gave her the upper hand since she was the only one with a boyfriend from Sylvia and Meiran, plus it gave her more of a purpose to be in with the popular crowd at school. All she could do was go along with Meiran's advice and just do what she normally did when ever she was with Wufei, get him in bed and demonstrate just how much she loves him and what he will lose if he dumped her. 'It's all I can do. Please Wufei, if I can't satisfy you then tell me what it is that you want. I want to prove to you that I can love and respect you till the end of my days. I can be a good girlfriend if you let me be. I am not afraid to show you how I feel; I want someone to appreciate me... so... please...' Midii begged in her mind, 'What is it that you want!?'  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Making her way out of Meiran's bedroom, rubbing her eyes free of any more tears which wished to fall from her face, Midii watched from down the hallway as Meiran looked to be making her way out of Wufei's room, but what Midii couldn't understand was why she looked to be so... happy? She was angry and frustrated over the fact that Relena was here and didn't even want to go near her, so why was she happy just coming out of Wufei's room like this when Relena was actually in there? Watching Meiran grin to herself as she watched her make her way to the kitchen, Midii's curiosity took over and decided to make her way towards Wufei's room.  
  
The door was closed but she could hear voices in there, one which belonged to Wufei but the other voice didn't sound like Relena's. Leaning her ear against the door, Midii listened in closely and was surprised to hear that Trowa was in there, 'What is he doing here?' Well, at least that explained why Meiran was so happy, although there was no reason for Trowa to be here like this, from her knowledge, she had never seen Trowa visit before, so why now? Pressing her ear into the door further, Midii wanted to try and pick out what was actually going on in there.  
  
Voices were rising now, she could practically hear Wufei screaming curses at Trowa, although Trowa's voice was still at normal tone so she couldn't pick out what he was saying very well but, she had heard nothing from Relena yet. Suddenly, Midii's eyes widened when the realisation came to her of why Trowa would be here, it had to be about Relena, which was another reason why Wufei was screaming insults towards the guy. Wufei was always tense around Trowa; that was one thing Midii had taken notice of greatly, he always showed so much hatred towards him.   
  
Reasons why? Well, from what she could figure out, Wufei had a way with getting what he wanted, with his fighting capabilities, he always had the upper hand over people, however that wasn't the case with Trowa. Trowa was never put off by the threats or curses Wufei would throw out at him since he possessed the knowledge of using his weaknesses against him, or would have a way of bringing up unhealed wounds from the past. 'Relena...'  
  
At that moment, Midii almost fell forward from the door suddenly opening. Looking up at the person who had opened the door, Midii remained silent as she backed away from the door to give the person room. Trowa just stared at her blankly as he dropped a school bag down by his feet as he leaned against the wall beside the doorframe and crossed his arms, causing Midii to just stare at him in question. Taking a glimpse in Wufei's room though, she went into shock when she saw Relena standing in front of Wufei; he looked so shaken up, yet so... hurt?   
  
If that wasn't enough, she suddenly noticed Wufei bring his hand behind Relena's neck and looked to be lowering his head towards hers. Midii was so tempted to stomp in there and give Relena a piece of her mind but, she couldn't will her body to do as she commanded, was she... hesitating?  
  
"Why do you continue hurting yourself like this?" Trowa suddenly said, causing Midii to jump in surprise, she had forgotten he was standing there.  
  
"I'm fine... I don't know what you're talking about," Midii replied coldly as she narrowed her eyes on him.  
  
Trowa stared back at her for a moment and turned his head off to the side as he said, "Don't continue to hold false hopes on something that will never come to be, you are only hurting yourself more by pretending like this."  
  
Staring at him for a moment, Midii could feel Trowa's words affecting her as though she had just been slapped across the face. She was not about to give into this feeling of regret though, glaring at him she replied, "Hmph, you would have no idea! At least I have someone by my side! I'm at least being loved, and what about you huh? What do you get at the end of the day!?"  
  
"Unlike you, I did have a chance to be happy," Trowa stated, causing Midii to stare blankly at him. "Just like you, the person who I cared about held onto something which was never meant to be... and even now, they refuse to let go... I may not have someone to turn to like you, but if I were to have someone like that, I would want to hope that they see 'me' in their eyes and not someone... else."  
  
Midii couldn't help but turn away at that moment; she could see now why Wufei hated this guy so much, what right did he have to say such things? It wasn't his business to pry into the private lives of others, both Wufei and her were perfectly fine and content with each other. Sure they had their disagreements and arguments but they always made up in the end. They were fine... they were fine... why weren't these words sinking in?  
  
Relena suddenly exited the room at that moment, causing Midii to snap out of her thoughts as she turned to look at her. Relena bit her lower lip as she put her hand over her mouth and allowed a few stray tears to run down her face. Glancing over at Midii she bowed her head and murmured, "... I'm sorry..." She then began making her way towards the front door, not once looking back as she left. Turning to look at Trowa, Midii noticed something flicker across his eyes just now... was it longing? As quickly as it appeared it suddenly vanished as he went to pick up the school bag by his feet and swung it over his shoulder, Midii assumed it to be Relena's bag since she didn't seem to have it with her when she left the house.  
  
"False love," Trowa suddenly said, causing Midii to jump once again. He didn't look at her when he said this, instead he began making his way to the front door as well, closing it behind him as he exited. What was going on? Midii didn't understand anything of what just happened. Trowa came to take Relena away? If so, then why? Not that Midii was complaining, she wanted her to leave but... what was Trowa's purpose for taking her away? This person who Trowa was referring to just now, the one who held onto 'false hopes', the one who he states could have made him happy... was that Relena? The look in his eyes as he watched Relena leave the house... was he hurting as well? No, she had her own worries to deal with, nothing matter to her but the person behind that door.  
  
"Wufei..." Midii whispered to herself as she slowly made her way into the room. She felt so cold and lost right now, she needed him in her arms, and she needed the evidence to see if Wufei cared. Trowa was wrong, she loved him and he felt the same way... right? Looking up at him, Wufei had his back to her as he appeared to be deep in thought, although he looked very tense.  
  
"Wufei...?" Midii whispered as she rested her hands on his shoulders, causing him to suddenly tense more by her touch. Wufei did not reply, instead he nudged her hands off him as he crawled into his bed and laid with his back on it's surface, allowing him to stare up at the ceiling. Midii couldn't deny that she was hurt by the way he was treating her but didn't say anything as she went to close his door. Turning to him once more she slowly walked over to the other side of his king sized and crawled onto it, lying on her side so she could see Wufei's face.  
  
Laying her head on his pillow, just beside his face, Midii raised her hand up and caressed Wufei's chest, causing him to tense up again. Turning to look at her, Wufei was about to open his mouth to speak but before he could, he was suddenly silenced when Midii locked her lips with his in a deep, longing kiss. Wufei was about to brush her off him until he suddenly saw something which he wasn't expecting to see. Pulling back from her slightly, Wufei's gaze softened when he took note of the girl beside him having long honey blonde hair and her eyes were a shimmering aquamarine colour.  
  
Looking over her briefly he relaxed a little and smiled slightly as he reached out and touched her honey blonde hair and softly went to touch her cheek. She smiled back as well as she laid her head down in the crook of his neck and snuggled up to him closer, wrapping her arms around his form. Wufei looked down at her briefly before she suddenly brushed her lips against his softly. The kiss then began to turn more passionate as she raised her hands up around his neck to further deepen the kiss. She then brought him on top of her and began rubbing her hands over his well defined back, causing Wufei to groan softly. Wufei closed his eyes to savour the moment as he then felt his jacket being unbuttoned. Bowing his head and looking down at what he pictured as his heart and Trowa's, Wufei condemned himself for being so weak, especially using another to fulfill his own needs, 'Midii, forgive me...'  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Bringing his car to a stop as the traffic lights changed red, Quatre sat and watched as other cars from across the road made their way across the intersection. The lights from the other vehicles, street lights and house lights made it almost seem as though it was day time even though the sun was almost out of sight now. Looking down at the clock is his car briefly; the time read six fifty four.   
  
Noticing the lights were still red, Quatre began drumming his fingers on the stirring wheel as he waited for it to change. Shifting around in his seat for a moment, Quatre felt about ready to be sick, the butterflies in his stomach weren't settling and this was making him all the more anxious and nervous. He had been invited to Relena's place for dinner and as much as he didn't want to be an inconvenience to them, Mrs. Darlian had insisted he come over. He would have been more than delighted to come but when the matters of him coming were only part of his so called 'payment' for tutoring Relena, he wanted to do what he could to decline the offer.   
  
Noticing the lights finally change to green, Quatre put his foot down on the accelerator and began making his destination towards Relena's house once more. Quatre understood that Mrs. Darlian only wanted to show her gratitude, for him taking the time to help her daughter out with her studies but it was just the way she went about it which disturbed him in some way...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
"Ah, finally done!! Hahaha, that was fun!" Mariemaia said as she looked down at the two over flowing trolleys full of foods for the party, at least with all of this out of the way, there won't be as many stressful events showing up when it will be party time. Smiling at Duo and Quatre for pushing the incredibly heavy trolleys around and Mueller and Alex for fetching all the things she needed to get, the party supply shopping didn't end up taking as long as what she first assumed it would so she knew that she had to repay them in some way. Of course she didn't leave them doing all the work, Hilde, Relena and herself occasionally went to fetch groceries which was listed on her never ending shopping list but Mariemaia practically left it all to the guys to do everything for her, not that it was intentional to begin with but she makes all the use of her resources when ever she gets the chance to.  
  
After Mariemaia paid for the shopping, Duo pushed his trolley out of the isle first before Quatre's and let out a tired yawn, "Ah, thank god this is over... I never realised shopping could be so boring..."  
  
"All because you weren't shopping for your own needs this time huh?" Hilde joked as she nudged him in the arm.  
  
Duo just snorted as he rested his chin on the handle bar of the trolley, that was until his eyes suddenly caught sight of something which he wasn't expecting to see. Quatre pushed his trolley up besides Duo's and noticed him looking a little uneasy as he straightened up, acting a little tense at the same time. Quatre was about to enquire about this until he suddenly heard his name being called out.  
  
"Quatre! Oh Quatre how long has it been!?" A female voice called to him. Quatre turned his head to the direction of the voice and smiled weakly at the older woman approaching him.  
  
"Hello Mrs. Darlian, indeed it has been a while since we have last met up like this..." Quatre replied.  
  
Mrs. Darlian smiled brightly at him but just as she had approached him she lifted her arms and embraced him in a friendly hug, definitely catching Quatre off guard with her sudden actions. Hilde and everyone else just stared blankly at what was before them whereas Duo's eyebrow twitched as he watched Mrs. Darlian's over friendly gestures with Quatre. Turning to look at Relena who was standing beside him, Duo noticed that she just looked the same as always, neutral and calm; however he knew that her mind was probably spinning with many different thoughts about this sudden scene played before her. Duo just smiled weakly at her as he rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly as she looked at him.  
  
Mrs. Darlian backed away from Quatre at that moment and caught sight of Duo's hand on Relena, causing her anger to boil at the sight of it. However, she had more important things to get down to, she was not about to waste her time on such insects, there were better things to attend to at the moment. Continuing to smile at Quatre, Mrs. Darlian asked, "So, how were your grades this term?"  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow at her at that moment, wondering why the question of school results suddenly came to her mind like that. Should he tell her though? He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Mrs. Darlian was going to use this as a way of putting Relena down with her results or anyone else's for that matter. Duo and the others had no idea what he received for grades since he refused to tell them but now, he wasn't sure if whether or not to tell the truth.  
  
"I... I received-" Pausing for a moment there, he tried mouthing out B's but instead his truthfulness took over once again and made him announce A's instead. This was just like the time Mrs. Darlian wanted to know why he was at their home when both Relena and him self went over there to make an attempt at her tutoring sessions. Why couldn't he lie? He cursed himself for it the first time, and caused a lot of trouble because of it and here he was doing it again. It wasn't a matter of that he 'wanted' to lie, he just wanted to make the exception with Mrs. Darlian since he never understood what went on in that twisted mind of hers.  
  
"Oh just what I would expect of you Quatre! I am sure your family will be proud when they find out!" Mrs. Darlian said. Quatre just gave a weak smile at that remark, for one thing Dorothy wouldn't probably think of it being so great, and his father will probably pick out a negative side to it as well. Their report cards held the percentage of their grades and their results in their mid year exams so, knowing his father, he will probably be criticized for not receiving one hundred percent for every subject, even though he reached the mid nineties.  
  
"Let me see your report card Relena," Mrs. Darlian asked as she held out her hand to her. Quatre kept silent as he looked at Relena sadly, he knew this was going to happen, he knew it, now he is about to witness Relena being insulted for not doing as good as him. Duo just narrowed his eyes on the older woman but bit down on his tongue in order to prevent himself from saying something he knew he shouldn't. He wouldn't regret what he wanted to say, but he knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it from her if he did speak his mind. Relena slowly nodded as she brought her bag over to her side, zipping the front pocket open and pulled out the card for her mother to see.  
  
Taking a deep breath as she handed it to her mother slowly, Mrs. Darlian quickly swiped it away from her for being so slow about it. She glanced over Relena's results for a moment and smirked at them. Relena did not like that smile, she knew there was probably a twisted thought in her mother's head about them right now, and she knew it wasn't going to be anything good. She knew better than to think that her mother 'could' have been happy for her in having a vast improvement from her F's to A's so dramatically but, did her music results put her down in some way?  
  
Mrs. Darlian glanced over at Quatre and said, "Congratulations Quatre! I am impressed that you can give someone marks such as these and still excel in your own." Relena just looked at the ground in disappointment while Quatre suddenly felt anger flaring within his body.  
  
"Mrs. Darlian," Quatre started, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, "Miss Relena got those results on her own. Yes I may have helped her out a little but it was really her intelligence that got her those marks in the end. To me, she has made such a big jump in her results from last term compared to this term and I think she deserves the praise for it."  
  
"This is only one set of results Quatre, she is only half way through the year and quite frankly, she can do better than this," Mrs. Darlian said as she tapped the report card on Relena's head, "And if it weren't for you at all, she would still be struggling so really, I praise you for being such a patient and dedicated tutor Quatre." Quatre just stared at her blankly, what was it with this woman that she could never praise Relena for anything as good as this? It was no wonder that Relena had no confidence in her self, she put herself down automatically without even trying because it was things like this which made her that way.   
  
Quatre was in the same boat as Relena, he knew how hopeless it seemed when no matter how hard you try at something; it turns out being for nothing in the end. It was people like Mrs. Darlian that made things almost seem impossible for people like her but, why was it that 'he' continued to do his best all the time? It never mattered to him so, why does he continue doing it?  
  
Mariemaia glared holes behind Mrs. Darlian's head and was about ready to mouth off at her when Mueller pressed his hand over her mouth, causing her to go in a rage as she tried freeing herself. Duo was so tempted to just spit in this woman's face, she really needed to be put in her place, some mother she was, if he could call her that anyway.  
  
"So Relena, can I assume you thanked Quatre for the help he has given you this term?" Mrs. Darlian started as she stared down at Relena. Her silence said it all. Mrs. Darlian glared at Relena for her lack of manners and said, "Hmph, I figured as much, thanking someone would almost seem like a friendly gesture wouldn't it? It would almost seem more like an insult coming from your mouth anyway since you never use it." Relena's eyes turned teary at that moment, biting down her lip she was determined not to let these tears fall, she would never let it down if her mother saw her suffer from the words she just spoke of her.  
  
Turning to Quatre, Mrs. Darlian smiled and said, "Well, on Relena's behalf, I would like to thank you very much for the time you have taken in helping her and as a way to repay you. Would you be so kind as to join us for dinner tonight?" Quatre was in a mess of emotions at the moment, this was too much for him to take. Not only had Mrs. Darlian put Relena down in her grades, her upbringing, and her mannerism but it was him who had been used to hurt Relena so badly, now he was expected to come over for dinner?  
  
"Mrs. Darlian, I don't think I can..." Quatre sadly replied, causing Mrs. Darlian to raise an eyebrow at his remark.  
  
"May I ask why?"  
  
"I wasn't expecting any 'payment' in helping Miss Relena with her studies, and with your reaction to her grades, I feel as though they weren't enough to satisfy you." Now this was a remark which Mrs. Darlian was not expecting. Turning his vision up to meet hers Quatre continued, "How can I accept your proposal for dinner when I already feel guilty about not setting the standards of helping your daughter get reasonable grades?"   
  
Duo had to smirk at this, if Mrs. Darlian wasn't careful about what she said or did next, Quatre could possibly have her drilled right here and now. Not replying to Relena's marks also reflects upon Quatre and to make things better, if she tried apologising to him, this would automatically mean a positive reaction to Relena's grades. Since Mrs. Darlian doesn't seem to like praising Relena for anything but has such a soft spot for Quatre, her trying to make up for hurting Quatre's feelings would mean that she actually liked Relena's grades and therefore would mean a positive reaction on Relena for once. How can she keep in Quatre's good books without having to show "love" towards Relena at the same time? Duo was eager for her reaction now; he almost felt the urge to cheer Quatre on at this moment.  
  
"As you said Quatre," Mrs. Darlian started, "These results are what Relena got on her own, you merely helped her, but it was her who got these grades in the end. I am merely asking you over for dinner for 'helping' her, not celebrating what she received as a final result." Duo's eyebrow twitched at that, instead of Mrs. Darlian getting drilled for her comments earlier on, it seems the tables had been turned on Quatre, much to his dismay. Quatre went completely blank, he wasn't expecting his comments to back fire on him like this, maybe this could be considered payback for the comment he gave her earlier on when he had first met her at the airport.  
  
Staring at her for a moment, he could see the amusement in her eyes as she knew of Quatre's little game and so, for his benefit, he might have to give up at this point while he was still ahead. "... Very well, I accept your invitation," Quatre finally replied, causing Mrs. Darlian to smile brightly at him.  
  
"Very good, I knew you would come around. Please be sure to arrive at our house at around six o'clock." Glancing over her shoulder at Relena she said, "Come now, we must go home and prepare ourselves for the dinner we plan on having tonight. Maybe this can atone for your ignorance Relena." With that said, Mrs. Darlian held her chin up high as she began making her way towards the exit, leaving Duo, Mariemaia, Hilde, Mueller and Alex completely furious over her stuck up attitude.  
  
"What a bitch! I swear if I had a mother like that, I would seriously smack her out for being so full of herself!" Mariemaia blurted out.  
  
"Hey now, control yourself ok? She is still Relena's mother after all so don't be so rude," Hilde said, causing Duo to snort at that comment.  
  
"Mother!? Yeah right, I would seriously consider killing myself if I had to put up with shit like that from her mouth!" Duo blurted out, causing him to suddenly slap his hand over his mouth in shock. Relena stared at him wide eyed for a moment there, causing Duo to look at her in apology. Quatre raised an eyebrow at this in curiosity and wondered, 'What did he mean by that exactly?'   
  
Turning her vision away from Duo, Relena remained silent as she took quick glances over the group, just to see if they noticed anything. Noticing nothing she sighed in relief and turned to focus on Mariemaia, "Um, thank you so much for letting me go shopping with you today, I had a really good time... Thank you for inviting me."  
  
Mariemaia looked up at her and smiled slightly saying, "Well, quite personally, I could think of far better things I would rather do than shop for groceries hahaha but I must thank you for helping me out. I am glad you could come and, well, we will catch up with you later ok?" Relena smiled slightly at that and turned to head out the exit. Quatre watched her go for a brief moment but it wasn't until she was almost out the sliding doors that Quatre decided to go after her.  
  
"Miss Relena, wait!" Quatre called out as he ran through the doors after her, catching Relena right in front of the doors, "I'm sorry, it's my fault, I didn't mean to hurt you like that..."  
  
Turning to look at him, Relena said, "You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"I am the reason she keeps hurting your feelings like that! Don't try to convince me otherwise, I can see what she is trying to do."  
  
"Maybe she's right, maybe I should try being more like you..."  
  
Quatre narrowed his eyes on her for a moment as he went to approached her, taking hold of her hands in the process, causing Relena to look up at him in confusion.   
  
"Don't you ever wish to be someone your not! I am nothing compared to you, you are special in your own way, we all are. Don't let what she says get to you, there is so much about you which I know so many others envy you for." Softening his gaze on her at that moment, Quatre then brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them gently, causing Relena to stare up at him in shock, not to mention make her to blush.  
  
"Please don't change who you are. You are a wonderful person and you just don't realise it. There are so many good things within you which I can see you are too afraid to show to others, but I must say that you shouldn't be afraid of who you are. If not for yourself then can I be blunt as to say, that I want to see you for who you are. There is so much about you that, I want to know that it's..." Trailing off o what he was about to say, Quatre turned his blue/green eyes towards her aquamarine ones and instantly felt drawn to her at this moment and without even realising it, he started leaning his head closer to hers as well.  
  
Relena stared at him in shock by the words he had just said, her heart was beating like crazy at the moment and she was losing strength in her legs to even stand up right. Her eye lids were becoming heavy as she felt Quatre's breath on her lips, his head was coming closer and closer towards hers and Relena had no power to fight against the flowing of emotions which were swelling through her body. What she felt she could not tell, but there was a warm, tingly feeling that was spreading around her body from this and she didn't want to turn away from it. Before the gap between Quatre and Relena could be closed totally by their lips being sealing together, a group of young children ranging from around six years of age suddenly ran between them, causing Relena and Quatre to almost be pushed over in the process.  
  
Their mother suddenly approached them at that moment and bowed in apology saying, "Sorry about that, hehehe they can be a hand full sometimes." Looking between the two teenagers, the woman took note of their beetroot coloured faces and couldn't help but feel sorry for interrupting them like that. Without a moment delay, the woman quickly apologised again and went to follow after her hysterical children, leaving Relena and Quatre alone once more. Turning to Relena again, Quatre stared at her blankly for a moment as she looked to be staring out over the car park. He had no idea what came over him just now, if he didn't know any better, was he was just about to...  
  
"I better go, my mother is waiting," Relena suddenly said as she slowly looked towards Quatre, almost hesitantly, "See you later ok?" Before Quatre could say anything, Relena was already running towards the car park, not once looking back as she headed towards her mother's car. Quatre watched her go for a moment and turned to enter the mall again in disappointment. He still questioned himself on what just took place a few moments ago, or what 'could' have happened and he wondered what suddenly came over him like that. Quatre had never had any problems bottling up his feelings before and it was beginning to make him worry if this scene just now could possibly play itself again. What he really needed to question was if he really 'would' stop himself next time, he wasn't going to if those kids didn't suddenly appear so, in a way, this was not very good on his part.  
  
"You know, maybe you could take note for yourself not to stand right in front of the sliding doors next time," Duo suddenly said, grinning madly at him as Quatre suddenly jumped in surprise. Quatre had totally forgotten about Duo and everyone else and, judging by all the smirks on their faces he couldn't help but blush knowing that they just witnessed that scene between himself and Relena just now.  
  
"Oh well, better luck next time eh Quatre?" Mariemaia said as she winked at him, "Don't worry, you'll be getting more opportunities later, I will guarantee it." Why didn't Quatre feel very comfortable about hearing such a thing from her like that? For one, he was hoping not to let that scene play itself again, secondly he didn't want to take advantage on Relena like this since she still seemed emotionally hurt about some issues and it wouldn't be right if he took advantage on that, and finally, the last thing he really didn't need was Mariemaia suddenly playing match maker.  
  
"Please disregard what you just saw, I doubt if it will happen again," Quatre said as he walked back up to the trolley he was pushing previously, and did his best to keep a straight face as he waited for everyone to start walking again. Duo just continued grinning but kept to himself as he started pushing his trolley once more, allowing everyone to follow after him. Unknown to Quatre though, Mariemaia was not convinced by his words just now and if anything, she wanted to help him whether he liked it or not. It would be for the best in the end, she knew it.   
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Quatre couldn't help but blush in embarrassment over the turn of events between himself and Relena today, not only had he seen up her skirt previously at school, he was so close from turning their friendship into something a lot more as well. Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Quatre could not allow himself to fall for this emotion which was lurking around inside of him. It was best if he kept this bottled up and hoped to just pass that scene off between Relena and himself as just a one of those things which will never happen again. Relena needed a friend at the moment and she needed the comfort which came with one, how could she open herself up to him if she were to find out... "No, for Relena's benefit, I have to be nothing but a friend. We are just friends and nothing more."  
  
Stopping out the front of her house, Quatre turned off the lights and the ignition and suddenly felt a hesitation to open the door, "Just friends, she is just a friend." Finally getting the door open, he closed it behind him and turned the alarm system on as he headed for Relena's front door. His heart was thumping against his chest like a drum and he was beginning to get really, really nervous about this. As much as he tried talking himself out of what he felt, those feelings still continued to taunt him and he cursed himself for allowing it to happen. Although he had to question his sanity level for even wondering why he was talking to himself about it in the first place.  
  
Stepping up to the front door of the house, Quatre looked over himself for a moment and suddenly wondered if he dressed properly for the occasion. He was wearing a grey button up shirt with a blue jacket and blue jeans. He wasn't exactly dressing up for this but knowing what Mrs. Darlian was like, he was expecting to see the place set up like some posh restaurant so it was beginning to make him question his choice of attire. "Ok, I think I'm getting paranoid about this now." Shrugging it off, Quatre began to wonder why he was even caring so much about it, if it was set up very formally, he could get away with the attire because of his shirt, if not then it wouldn't matter at all so why was he worrying so much? 'Hmph, you know the reason Quatre.'  
  
Once again he hesitated for a moment when he raised his finger to the door bell, his throat suddenly went dry and he could feel his temperature rising at the same time, "Get a hold of your self already! You're not even inside yet and you're already running scared." Finally forcing himself to press on the door bell, Quatre mentally kicked himself once again for talking to himself like that. This was Relena anyway, if anything, she wouldn't have seen that scene between them as anything serious anyway. Knowing her, it was already out of mind, and Quatre envied her for having the ability to do that.  
  
The front door opened at that moment and Quatre was welcomed with the sights of Relena holding the door open for him. Relena smiled at him and said, "Good evening Quatre, please come in." Quatre stared at her blankly for a moment there as he analysed what she was wearing. She wore silver pants which flared past her knees and wore a thin black top on which went tight around her upper body, the sleeves went tight around her arms at first but flared out as it reached her hands and the neck line traveled down in a 'V' shape as it rested just above cleavage. Quatre was thankful knowing that she wasn't exactly dressed up for the occasion but he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked at the same time.  
  
Relena stared at him in question for a moment and wondered when he was going to come in, it was already hard enough for her to keep a straight face as she opened the door for him but he was making things harder by just standing around like this. She hadn't been able to get out of her head what she felt for Quatre at the mall and much to her paranoia about it, she had been keeping tabs on the time every minute and couldn't help but watch the window every once and a while to see if he was coming. She didn't know why she was acting like this and she shouldn't keep thinking back on this either since it was all probably in her head. Being as logical and smart as Quatre is, he would have enough sense to not be interested in a girl like her anyway. She had never been good in relationships so for their benefit, she better forget what happened today for the better.  
  
Snapping out of his thoughts, Quatre smiled sheepishly at her and finally entered the house. He could already smell the process of dinner being cooked and his mouth watered at how delicious it smelt but it wasn't until he stood by Relena that he started taking in a whole new fragrance, perfume was it? Looking over at Relena, she closed the door behind him and said, "We are still cooking so, you don't mind waiting a little longer do you?"  
  
"No, of course not," Quatre said smiling at her. Nodding at him, Relena went to guide him over to the lounge room but was stopped when Quatre suddenly spoke again, "Um, by the way. I like the new fragrance you are wearing." Relena froze at the mention of that, she had always used a specific fruit smelling essences at school but she wasn't expecting Quatre to notice the new perfume she was trying out. Relena blushed as she had her back to him and whispered a thank you to him as she continued down the hall, causing Quatre to smile and follow after her.  
  
"Please make yourself comfortable here," Relena gestured as she waved her hand towards the couches, "Would you like something to drink?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," Quatre said as he seated himself.  
  
"I would like one as well thank you Relena," Mr. Darlian said as he entered the room with a pipe in hand. Relena nodded and headed for the kitchen to get their drinks, leaving Quatre and Mr. Darlian on their own in the room. Mr. Darlian smiled as he saw Quatre and said, "My, it has been a while since we have last talked."  
  
Watching Mr. Darlian sit on a couch across the room, Quatre smiled and said, "Yes indeed, what have you been doing with yourself these past few months sir?"  
  
Mr. Darlian chuckled a little at Quatre's formal talk and said, "Please Quatre, no need to call me 'sir'. I have been pretty busy with work for a while now. When I came back home with you by plane those months ago, it wasn't long before I was sent off on another trip again. I have been traveling for a while now, but luckily it has settled down a little at the company I work at so I can finally relax for a while at least."  
  
Quatre watched as Mr. Darlian lighted his pipe and watched as he began smoking it. Quatre himself never appreciated the smell of tobacco but it wasn't exactly his place to say such a thing. Nodding in response to Mr. Darlian's statement, Quatre replied, "Oh I see, I didn't realise lawyers had to travel so much."  
  
Mr. Darlian exhaled some tobacco from his mouth and looked at Quatre in question with what he said, "Lawyer? No, I'm no lawyer Quatre, I'm a financial adviser."   
  
Quatre looked at Mr. Darlian blankly for a moment there. Was it just him or didn't Duo once say to him that Relena's father was a lawyer? Pondering over it for a moment, Quatre asked, "And Mrs. Darlian?"  
  
"My wife owns a cosmetics business in the mall, she goes there occasionally but she usually pays for someone to run the place for her while she can focus more on paper work, but she still runs the place from time to time."  
  
So Relena's mother didn't manage hotels like Duo mentioned before either. Thinking about it for a moment, Quatre thought that he better clear this off with Duo since he obviously didn't have his facts straight. Duo did after all go through a very traumatising childhood so it would only be natural for him to make mistakes such as these anyway.  
  
"So how have things been for you Quatre? Settled in alright have you?" Mr. Darlian asked, bringing his pipe back up to his mouth.  
  
"Oh yes, it is great being back home again. Plus having the chance to come back to school and everything gives me the chance to act more my age I guess."  
  
"Ah yes, you had been overseas for a couple of years to run one of your family's companies correct?"  
  
"Yes, it was very hard work, I was happy to finally leave the place." Mr. Darlian smiled at Quatre for the strength the young man possessed, the whole ideal of him being able to live on his own in a country for a few years without any guidance at all as he did work which people twice his age struggled to maintain surprised Mr. Darlian considerably. He could picture the hard work Quatre must have been put though to keep the place up to standards and he was amazed that he could do it for so long without going under massive breakdowns. The pressure of running such a well known business like theirs would add to the pressure on Quatre's shoulders, not to mention having to run the place hours upon hours each day when he still had meetings and paper work to do, plus the criticism he would get for being so young would also add to the burden on Quatre's shoulders and Mr. Darlian couldn't help but feel sorry for him having to go through so much at his young age.  
  
"You are very strong Quatre; I envy the knowledge the possess at such a young age. Compared to others who would study these certain occupations in university while getting added work experiences, you know just as much as an experienced person would who had been running a world wide business for almost half their life time and you haven't even finished high school yet." Pausing for a moment he continued, "As much as it will be beneficial for you in the long run, I can't help but feel sorry for you all at once. Can I be so blunt as to ask if you actually had much of a childhood?"  
  
Quatre stared at him blankly for a moment there. At first he was assuming to hear the 'good' sides of him knowing so much about their family's business like he usually got told but it wasn't until his last comment that Quatre was caught off guard. Staring at him for a moment, Quatre slowly nodded and turned to look at the carpet for a moment when he said, "... I didn't exactly have much of a childhood, it's more like a blur to me since I practically did nothing but learn the ways of our company. I feel as though I have already lived my life already, since it has consisted of nothing but memories of our business." Turning to Mr. Darlian again, he gave him a weak smile and said, "Besides, it's to help give me the experience I would need when the company gets handed down to me to me some day so, our reputation is important to maintain you see."  
  
Staring at him for a moment, Mr. Darlian slowly nodded but said, "Even so, I can see that you don't exactly like this burden of running things after your father do you? Your not one to care much about money or public status Quatre, you are merely running your life the way your father sees fit aren't you?" Quatre remained silent, he really didn't want to continue with on this discussion any further, after all it didn't concern anyone else but himself. Mr. Darlian took notice of this an automatically wanted to apologise for being so forward when suddenly Relena entered the room. Handing her father a glass of red wine, Mr. Darlian said his thanks and watched as Relena went to give Quatre his drink.  
  
Quatre looked at her for a moment and back down at the drink and thanked her as she handed it to him. As he took hold of the glass however, his hand had brushed against hers and this automatically made him tense, causing him to almost drop the wine glass on the floor. Relena jumped slightly when she thought he would drop it but was thankful when he didn't, her mother would murder her if it did happen. However it was her fault for wanting to give the glass to Quatre so quickly, she couldn't help but falter slightly when his hand touched hers, lucky for her that Quatre had good coordination.  
  
"Sorry about that," Relena quickly said, blushing slightly in embarrassment as she backed away to the door. Quatre looked at her apologetically and wanted to apologise himself for being so clumsy but she was already gone, causing him to stare at the drink silently.   
  
Mr. Darlian took note of all this and smirked as he placed his pipe down on the coffee table in front of him. As he took a sip of his wine he stared at the glass for a moment to savour the taste and commented, "Hmm, this is very good." Watching as Quatre took a sip of his own; he nodded his agreement but turned his head off to the walls as he looked about the paintings which hung around them. Shaking the contents of his drink around for a bit, Mr. Darlian kept his gaze on the glass and he said, "I hear that you have been helping Relena with her studies." This automatically earned him Quatre's attention as he watched his eyes suddenly focus on him.  
  
"I have seen her report card; she has improved dramatically from her last one. I thank you for helping her, she needed someone like you to pull out her full potential," Mr. Darlian said smiling at him.  
  
Quatre smiled at that as well, he was thankful to see that at least Mr. Darlian could see his daughter's strengths and weaknesses and knew of what she was capable of, "Yes, all she just needed was a bit more confidence in herself."  
  
"Indeed, fortunately she has someone like you to guide her in the right direction, I myself am never around much which I know is not a good thing for her up bringing but I like to spend as much time as possible here as I can. I burden my wife for leaving so much here for her to do on her own." Looking at Quatre for a moment he leaned forward on his couch a little and asked, "What are your impressions of my wife? How do you see her in your eyes?"  
  
This was yet another question that Quatre didn't want to answer, but feel he needed to since he knew he was being judged on this. What should he say though? Lie and say how kind and thoughtful she is or tell the truth and bag her for being so arrogant and self-centered? He hated being put in these positions and what annoyed him was that he had no way of slipping out of them either. Pondering over his answer as Mr. Darlian patiently waited for him, Quatre slowly replied, "I feel as though, she has good intentions and wants the best for her family but, I don't think she goes about it in the right way. She-"  
  
"Goes about things in an aggressive way and therefore gives her the appearance of a selfish person," Mr. Darlian finished as he took another sip of his wine. Quatre stared at him for a moment as Mr. Darlian continued, "I am glad that you can see more to her than just her blunt, negative comments. I can see now why she takes such a liking in you, its because you understand her."  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow at this and almost wanted to say he didn't understand her at all, "You are thinking too highly of me Mr. Darlian."  
  
"No, I know you can see the hidden meaning behind her words, you are just taking into too much consideration how others are reacting to it, especially Relena." Quatre choked on his wine at that moment and coughed a little to help clear his throat. This was only their second meeting and Quatre was getting worried about how much Mr. Darlian was analysing from him. Was Quatre really that open that people could freely read him like a book?  
  
"My wife quit school by the time she was sixteen. She hated the life which she lived with her parents since her mother was always in her own little world with the drugs she always inserted into her system, while her father always sexually abused her. Leaving her home to live in her own little apartment she spent her time mostly working behind check outs at supermarkets in order to earn herself a living. Besides working she spent most of her time partying, taking drugs, drinking, and always found herself in the beds of men she never even knew."   
  
Quatre stared at him for a moment and wondered if Mr. Darlian had been drinking previously since he was beginning to say things which he knew he shouldn't know. Opening his mouth to stop him, Mr. Darlian continued, "I met her when she was trying to shop lift from this store one day, I convinced her not to do such a thing since this wasn't the way to live. I felt sorry for her and so I wanted to do what I could to help her.   
  
I guess it seemed odd of me helping someone I didn't even know but that was how naive I was back then in my younger years. I got her some counseling since she needed it to help her with her drinking and drug problems and I got her into a course on learning how to run your own businesses. It was the only thing she had knowledge on at the time so I figured that this was the best direction to bring her towards in order to make a proper living.  
  
She did indeed finish the course and with the work experience she had also received she got the chance to run as co-manager for a cosmetics shop. The woman who previously owned it wanted to sell it one day and so, my wife decided to take it from her hands and paid half the price of the place while I paid the other. She still owns the same shop as well."   
  
Looking towards Quatre he gave him a warm smile and said, "We started taking a liking in each other while she was doing her business course. I was fascinated with how she had lived such a traumatic life and I admired her strength to keep living. I myself had lived my life being completely sheltered so I never knew much of the things she spoke of since I had no experience with wild parties or drug usages or anything. It wasn't long before we feel in love and well, you can figure out the rest."  
  
Quatre was shocked, never had he considered Mrs. Darlian's life being so, depressing. It reminded him of Duo's past and just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. This didn't make since though, he assumed that Mrs. Darlian had lived such a high classed life with being raised to be as lady like as possible with the advantage of earning herself the highest education status she could with the back up of her family giving her the money to do what her inspirations lead her to be. He assumed that because of her upbringing, she had a negativity towards lower classes like Duo since she didn't have to slave away in life like him but, if that wasn't the case, why was she so negative towards people like him when she was actually one of them herself?  
  
"Mr. Darlian, does Miss. Relena know about this?"  
  
"No, and I advice you not to speak a word about it as well, not just to Relena but everyone, this was information for your ears only."  
  
Here was another thing he didn't understand. What right did Mrs. Darlian have to judge Relena on her grades at school when Mrs. Darlian had quit half way though? Yes it might have been a difficult time for her when she lived with her parents but why didn't she ever come back to start again? He could understand why Mr. Darlian didn't want Relena to know about this since this would leave Mrs. Darlian powerless in trying to raise her properly. Still, she didn't have to be on her back so much about it; Relena had gone further with her education than Mrs. Darlian had after all.  
  
"...Why did you tell me this?" Quatre asked in curiosity.  
  
"So you could understand why my wife's the way she is. She prefers to not think back at this aspect of her past but, it is always taunting her no matter where she goes and she is powerless to try and forget it. I know for a fact that she admires you because of the way you were brought up since she wished she could have been just as lucky as you were." Relena suddenly entered the room at that moment, causing Mr. Darlian to be silenced as he took note of her presence.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt but dinner is ready now," Relena said as she watched her father stand from his couch.  
  
"Thank you Relena, we will be right there," Mr. Darlian said as he watched her leave again. Looking over at Quatre, he could still see the state of shock written over his features and added, "You never would have suspected it would you?" All Quatre could do was shake his head in response, he needed time to get this all around his memory bank since it almost seemed like a lie. Never would he have expected Mrs. Darlian's life to be like that but he still couldn't grasp the concept of why she was most negative to those who were just like her, if anything she should be closer to them and more understanding right?  
  
Mr. Darlian chuckled a little at Quatre's blank face and said, "Please don't worry yourself over such matters Quatre, my wife wouldn't appreciate you taking pity on her past life like that." It was at that moment that Mr. Darlian suddenly started coughing, causing him to suddenly drop his wine glass to the floor, allowing it's contents to form a patch of red onto the pale carpet. It wasn't just little stifles in the throat either, he was practically gasping for air as he covered his mouth, trying to gain control of himself again. He choked and wheezed as he tried calming himself down, losing strength in his legs as he kneeled down on the ground for support.  
  
Quatre's eyes widened and he went into a state of shock as he watched Mr. Darlian coughing like this. Quickly rushing over to him, Quatre helped him onto the couch and noticed him to still be in a cough fit. Watching in fear as Mr. Darlian's face was now turning red; Quatre rushed out the room and saw Relena setting out the table in the dinning room.  
  
"Miss Relena! Please get a glass of water immediately!" Relena just raised an eyebrow at him but the pledging in his eyes as he begged for her to get water suddenly began to scare her, quickly nodding to him she rushed for the kitchen, leaving Quatre to rush back into the lounge room again. Kneeling beside Mr. Darlian as he patted his back, he felt so useless at the moment since he didn't know what to do for him. What caught him off guard though was when his heart suddenly began to ache as he watched Mr. Darlian struggle for air, if he didn't try breathing soon... Relena quickly came in at that moment and kneeled in front of her father, holding out the water for him to take. Mr. Darlian took the glass of water and began taking sips of it, some of it gurgled and spat back out of his mouth but most of it as going down, and luckily it was calming him down as well.  
  
"Father, are you alright?" Relena asked and she rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to hold him up for support. Quatre clenched his shirt at that moment as he tried compressing the pain he was feeling at the moment. As soon as Mr. Darlian finally stopped coughing, causing him to finally get air into his lungs with his face slowly turning back to its original colour, Quatre felt the aching in his heart suddenly stop, much to his surprise. Relena helped Mr. Darlian onto his feet again with Quatre standing by his side.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that, I must have choked on some of that wine," Mr. Darlian said as he took Relena's hands off him, "Thank you Relena but I am fine now, and thank you for your help as well Quatre. Well, we better go eat now shouldn't we?" Quatre just stared at him as he watched Mr. Darlian slowly walk out the room, Relena watched him leave as well and turned to notice the wine which had spilt on the floor, causing her to sigh knowing that this was more work for her since she would have to scrub it out. As Relena bent down to get the wine glass, Quatre still pondered over the incident which just took place just now. This was exactly like on the plane trip home, except at that time, Mr. Darlian's coughs weren't as serious as they were just now. At first he assumed it to be a cold, but now he wasn't so sure, his heart told him so.  
  
Looking over at the pipe Mr. Darlian had previously been smoking, Quatre asked, "Miss Relena, is your father suffering from anything in particular?"  
  
Relena got up from the ground at that moment and shook her head in response, "No, he is perfectly healthy. As he said before, he just choked on some wine that's all." As she turned to leave the room, she waited patiently for Quatre to follow since it was time to eat, although the expression on his face was scaring her a little. Quatre remained in thought for a moment as he put his hand over his heart once more before turning to see Relena looking at him blankly. Smiling at her for reassurance he walked up to her and allowed himself to be guided to the dinner table. He was not certain about Mr. Darlian's coughing fit just now but, something told him that it wasn't the wine which made him cough like that, no liquid would make you gasp for air like that and almost sufficate you to death.  
  
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Author's Note: Grrr, I had so much more I wanted to write hehehe, but I didn't want to drag it on any longer since I know you are all probably bored with it already. *sighs* I have so much work to do, and yet here I am working on this fanfic when really, I SHOULD be doing some school work *cries* Oh well, it's the last week of term so *jumps up and down for joy* I can't wait to get onto the holidays. Although I am still going to be stuck on doing homework again *glares*   
  
Ok, now that I have gotten that off my chest hehehe, I decided to dedicate this part of Chapter 11 for the characters which haven't had much of a roll in the story so far. I was going to be putting in some scenes with Wufei and Heero but as much as I would have liked to write about them, it just didn't work with what I have installed for them in the next chapter. This mainly consisted of Sylvia and co. with Mrs. Darlian. Yes I know there were still some unanswered questions left in this but I hope this helped clear few things up about certain people. Not that everything has been cleared out 'totally' but like everything, it is all going to be answered in the chapters to come. And that is no lie. ^_^  
  
This was quite a boring chapter actually, but I needed to state all these things sooner or later so better to get it out of the way so I can bring on the good stuff ^_^ AT LAST!! The next chapter is going to focus on Mariemaia's Birthday party *claps* I get to have a bit of fun with this chapter since ANYTHING could happen *wink**wink* *nudge**nudge* lol. The intentions of Heero, Trowa and Wufei will ALL be revealed, nothing will be left about them unsolved, their past with Relena, their intentions at the moment, why they are... the way they are I guess, the hockey stadium incident... Well, you get the jist of it ^_~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review!! Your comments would be greatly appreciated. Until next time, bye!!!  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	13. Chapter 12

Don't Push Me Away   
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
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" --- " - Speaking  
  
' --- ' - Thinking  
  
"Ah! Trowa! Cathy!" Mariemaia shrieked as she saw them coming into the house. Running up to them she hugged Trowa for a brief moment before running over to Cathrine for a hug as well. Trowa was wearing a dark green jacket with a blue top and dark grey jeans while Cathrine was wearing a sleeveless, high neck red top and white flare pants. Giving them one of her brightest smiles, Mariemaia backed away from them and said, "So glad you could make it! Come on; let's go see everyone else ok?"   
  
Before she turned to leave though, she noticed Trowa looking at her strangely, as though she had just grown another head or something. Raising an eyebrow at him she asked, "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"... Your outfit," Trowa finally said, causing her to look down at herself. She was wearing a short light blue tank top which revealed a lot of her cleavage and wore very short hot pants which were a metallic dark blue colour. She also had a pair of platform boots on and wore a black choker around her neck and had very huge silver hopped earrings on. Mariemaia had also taken the time to set her hair so that it spiked up around the sides and back but she didn't put on all that much make up, just a bit of silver and blue eye shadow with black eyeliner around her eyes and some pink lip gloss.  
  
"Yeah? What's your point?" Mariemaia inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Didn't think I could look so drop dead gorgeous huh?" Trowa just narrowed his eyes on her while Cathrine put a hand over her mouth, trying to keep in her laughter. Noticing no reply from Trowa after her smart arse comment, Mariemaia winked at them and took hold of their hands to bring them into family room where everything had been set up. While Cathrine and Trowa were being guided, they looked about the rooms which they passed by and noticed a lot of balloons hanging from the walls, along with many assorted lights to give varieties of colour in each room.  
  
In the family room where Mariemaia let go of them, it practically had everything in it. This was the biggest room in her house so Mariemaia decided to use it for the main things like the mini stage for the karaoke backed up against the wall with massive speakers around it and in the middle was a wide space for people to dance. There were also a few tables around the edges of the room as well which had a massive variety of drinks and servings of food for everyone to help them selves to. This room was also the most decorated, counting the balloons and lights on the ceiling, this place almost seemed like a disco dance floor.  
  
"Hope you liked what we did! This took us like, ages to set up!" Mariemaia said as she waved her hand around the room, "This is where most people will be but there is always the lounge room next door for people to go into as well, Duo and Quatre are setting up the music in there at the moment while everyone else is outside helping to cook I guess. There are some tables set up out there as well just in case if people feel like going out there but most people should be inside." Sliding the glass door open so that they could go outside she gestured fro them to follow her as she lead them to the barbecue area where Treize was finishing off some of his cooking.  
  
"Uncle Treize! Cathy and Trowa are here!" Mariemaia announced as she tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
Turning to look at them with tongs in hand he smiled and said, "Good evening, glad to see you could make it." Trowa just nodded in response while Cathrine walked up to him to give him a kiss on the lips. Gazing around the verandah area, Trowa found nothing but lights hanging around them. Considering how decorated the house was, he assumed it would look the same out here but he just remembered Mariemaia saying she preferred people inside so that would be the reason for lack of decorations.  
  
"Hey Trowa!" Hilde called out; waving to him from the table she was sitting at with Alex and Mueller. Trowa said nothing but moved over to them anyway, eyeing Hilde's choice of attire as well. Hilde was wearing a green, off the shoulder top which revealed a lot of her stomach and wore black leather pants that flared past the knees and had silver studs running down the sides of them. She had her hair gelled back and had make up on like Mariemaia's but with the exception of green and gold eye shadow.   
  
Smiling at him, Hilde said, "Sit down Trowa, I haven't had the chance to talk to you for like, ages now. Since hockey is off for the season." Trowa knew of this and was relieved about it as well. He couldn't stand being dragged there all the time, all because he was the supposed 'team mascot'. It wasn't too bad going there to watch games from time to time but when you knew your only purpose for even being there was to give inspiration for the players to play at their best, it got too frustrating for Trowa to handle. Being the object of desire from all the female hockey players had to be one of the scariest things he had to put up with. Hilde and Meiran were the worse as well, always screaming for attention and trying to play matches as though they were the only people on the ice, it was enough to drive him insane. He was good at keeping his emotions bottled up though, so as annoyed as he would get, it never showed on the outside.  
  
"Why don't you sit down?" Hilde asked sweetly as she pulled out a chair for him. Trowa could see the desiring glint in her eyes just now and it was making Trowa all the more uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him. He didn't think Hilde was such a bad person, in point of fact he liked her as a friend but what put him off her was the way she continued to be so forward and attention seeking all the time. He wasn't interested and he had made that clear but she continued to keep running after him, just like Meiran and many other girls at school.  
  
"Where's Relena?" Trowa suddenly asked, causing Hilde to look up at him blankly.  
  
"I saw her go upstairs not too long ago," Alex said, "She hasn't come out here yet so I assume she is still up there." Trowa nodded in response to that and headed back inside, causing Hilde to watch him go with disappointment.   
  
********************************  
  
Relena applied some lip gross on her lips for what seemed like the tenth time before she stared at herself in the mirror again. She had to admit she was sort of stalling since she didn't feel comfortable about going down stairs just yet. For one thing she had to curse Mariemaia for making her wear this outfit she was in at the moment.   
  
The top Mariemaia had given her had to be the skimpiest thing she had ever laid eyes on. It was just a normal boob tube top but with the exception of it only just covering the breast area, leaving the rest of your body practically exposed and if that wasn't enough, the top wasn't even attached together. The only thing keeping it on her body was the lacing at the front of it, which would have to be tight up enough to even stay on. The top was too revealing for Relena's taste, even when she use to hang out with Sylvia. Even Sylvia never wore such things, hell, even she had her limits and she was already bad enough.   
  
It was lucky for her that Mariemaia was at least nice enough to give her a long sleeved top to put over the little black thing she had on. There was of course a catch to it though, which was one of the things which annoyed her about Mariemaia. The long sleeved top stopped half way down her stomach but the top was actually a red fish net one which still revealed her upper body anyway, but at least she wasn't as exposed as she was before so she couldn't complain.  
  
Looking down lower at herself, she narrowed her eyes on the ever so short black mini skirt which she had given her to wear as well. The only thing which Relena was wearing that even belonged to her was her knee length boots, besides that, everything else was Mariemaia's clothing. What made Relena wonder though was Mariemaia's choice of clothing, everything of hers was so short and revealing that she almost didn't seem afraid to expose herself to anyone at all. She made Relena get into this out fit because she wasn't 'satisfied' with what Relena was going to wear before.   
  
She had previously decided to wear a short, shiny black shirt and a black jacket with black pants and high heeled boots to begin with, and she couldn't figure out what was wrong with that. The reason why she picked such an outfit to begin with was because she didn't want to look like a tart in front of Mariemaia and everyone else since she didn't want them judging her. And here she was thinking that they had their limits, "Hmph yeah right, it seems to be a normal thing to walk around half naked now."  
  
"Seems that way," someone suddenly said, causing Relena to jump in surprise. Turning to the doorway of Mariemaia's bedroom, she found the mystery person being Trowa.   
  
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she patted her chest and said, "Please knock next time, you almost gave me a heart attack."  
  
"Sorry," Trowa said, although he was grinning a little at her. Relena put her lip gloss and other make up materials back in her little cosmetic bag and sighed as she turned to face Trowa. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she noticed Trowa staring at her outfit, she almost wanted to run and hide behind Mariemaia's bed but restrained herself.  
  
Blushing in embarrassment she said, "Um, it's Mariemaia's clothes."  
  
"I know, you don't normally wear things this revealing," Trowa said, causing Relena to redden even more.  
  
"It doesn't suit me does it?" Relena asked as she turned to look at herself in the mirror again.  
  
"It's different," Trowa simply answered. Relena turned to look at him again at that moment and nodded in response. She still felt rather uncomfortable but she would have to get over it soon since the party was already starting. Besides, she could picture Mariemaia coming up here to drag her down if she wasn't going to do it herself. Before she planned on leaving, she went through her bag and pulled out a bottle of perfume. Staring down at it for a moment she sprayed a little around her neck and smiled at it as she put it away again.  
  
Waiting for a moment as she turned to look at Trowa, she noticed him leaning against the wall by the door way with his arms crossed. After a moment though, his head suddenly turned to look up at her in question. Smiling at him for a moment she asked, "Is something wrong?"  
  
Trowa remained silent for a moment before saying, "... You know what it."  
  
"I just wanted to see if you remembered that's all," Relena whispered, looking down at the ground in shame now. Trowa noticed this and instantly felt ashamed about the last comment he made. Pushing himself off the wall he slowly walked towards her and rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense suddenly from his touch. Trowa caught on to this and went to remove his hand from her but Relena grabbed hold of it and slowly brought it up to her face, pressing her cheek up against it for comfort.  
  
Trowa was surprised by her actions at first, but just feeling her soft silky skin against his hand was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. He couldn't deny that he liked touching her like this, just looking at how calm she seemed to be with him near her like this was enough to make him feel drawn to her. In his heart, he felt at peace when ever she was around him, her voice, her kindness, her unselfish nature, and her eyes. There was so much about her that made Trowa long for her. In his mind however, he knew this was a dangerous position for him to be in.  
  
"I remember," Relena whispered, "When you had gotten this for me..." Looking up at him with teary eyes, she smiled slightly and asked, "You remember don't you?" Trowa turned his head away from her at that moment and closed his eyes, breathing in the soft, sweet smelling fragrance of her perfume. He did indeed remember when he had bought this for her, how could he forget? It was closest he had ever gotten to her...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Walking out of the grocery store with his shopping in hand, Trowa looked over the receipt and placed it in his pocket. He had to go get some things which he needed to make dinner tonight since Cathrine was still at work. Depending on who ever was to arrive home first, it was always up to them to be the one to make dinner. They both had to work since they lived on their own so the inconvenience of them not being around for each other during weekdays was understandable. Cathrine was always busy either working or studying at university so when ever she came home, she was always exhausted. Trowa was pretty much the same, he didn't work every day but when he did work, he would start straight after school and return home again at around eleven o'clock at night.  
  
Even though it was hard work, it was better then living alone, at least they had each other to support one another. It was a decision which they both made on their own so they were ready to face the responsibility and the consequences. As Trowa started making his way towards the exit which was straight ahead of him, he started rethinking though his head if he had gotten everything. He got the groceries which he would need to make dinner with, he paid off the rest of Cathrine's lay by at some clothes store which she gave him the money for and he remembered to buy perfume as well.  
  
Looking down at one of his shopping bags in hand, he looked at the one which came from one of the big apartment stores around here and checked to see if it was still in there. It wasn't a normal thing for him to buy perfume like this, but it was all he could think of giving Cathrine for a present. It wasn't her birthday or anything but it was something which he wanted to give her as a way of saying thanks, thank you for being there for me when I needed you most. He had it all wrapped up for her so he hoped she liked it, he was no expert at female cologne but he was really fond of this particular one so hopefully she would think the same. Glancing around at the stores around him as he passed them, he stopped when he suddenly saw some people he recognized.   
  
In one of the cafes not too far ahead of him, he could see Wufei and Relena sitting at one of the tables by the entrance. Wufei was glaring at her from his side of the table while Relena was looking down at the coffee cup in front of her. It wasn't long until he noticed Wufei suddenly get to his feet, slamming his hands down on the table in the process. Relena jumped when he did this and looked up at him in fright. Trowa did not like what he was seeing; Wufei looked to be mouthing off at her about something Relena looked about ready to cry.  
  
If that wasn't enough, Trowa noticed another person heading towards the table and judging by the blonde hair, it looked like Midii. As she made her way to the table, she turned to smile at Wufei but when it came to Relena, all she did was glare at her. With a bit of talking from Midii to Relena, Midii smiled and moved across to Wufei, and without a moments hesitation, she pressed her lips up against his. Trowa's eyes widened at the sights of this. While Wufei didn't seem to mind her actions at all, he noticed Relena watching them in a complete state of shock.   
  
Standing up from the table slowly, Relena kept her head down and started making her way out the exit. It was then that Relena couldn't hold it in any longer and she let out a loud cry as tears began cascading down her eye lids. She turned and began running in his direction. As soon as she was close enough he held out his arm and grabbed hold of her, causing Relena to stare up at him in shock. Until she noticed it was him, she wrapped her arms around him and began crying once more. Trowa rubbed her back with his free hand and looked back up towards the cafe.  
  
Midii was sitting beside him now and she looked to be kissing him around the side of his neck. What Trowa didn't expect was to see Wufei looking in his direction, sending him death glares in the process. Raising an eyebrow at him, Trowa turned his back on the cafe and began walking in the opposite direction from where Midii and Wufei were. While holding Relena by him, Trowa could still feel Wufei's glares on him and he began to wonder why he was even caring so much in the first place.   
  
"I'm sorry," Relena whispered between sobs, "I shouldn't be bothering you like this." Just as she was pulling away from him, Trowa wrapped his arm around her to keep her by his side.   
  
"You're not bothering me," Trowa simply said, as he continued keeping his gaze straight ahead. Relena remained silent after that, but continued to cry as she leaned her head on him for comfort.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
"You brought me home with you that day," Relena said, "You sat and listened to what I had to say, you remained by my side as I continued to cry and you comforted me as you tried soothing my pain..." Looking up at him she smiled and said, "And you gave me that perfume in order to make me feel better..." Trowa remained silent as she pulled away from him slightly.  
  
"Who was that for anyway? I never asked you at that time, and I know it wasn't supposed to be for me to begin with."  
  
"... It was a present for Cathrine," Trowa answered.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, if I knew it was for her..."  
  
"I got her another one the following week."  
  
"Even so," Relena started, "It wasn't right of me to just take it..."  
  
"I wanted you to have it," Trowa replied, causing Relena to smile up at him teary eyed.  
  
"You were always there for me," Relena suddenly said, causing Trowa to look up at her blankly, "You were there for me when I broke up with Heero; you gave me a shoulder to cry on while I was with Wufei... You have always helped me through things which I thought I could never get through..." Trowa was very tempted to open his mouth and tell her this was not true. Yes he was there for her when she needed someone to cry on, but even when he would help comfort her, he was never able to actually get to her to talk to him.  
  
"I couldn't help you," Trowa whispered as he turned away from her, "I tried, but I didn't help at all." Relena stared at him in confusion for a moment before walking over to him. Resting her hand on his shoulder she walked in front of him and said, "Trowa, that's not true! You helped me through so much; you were always the person I could rely on when ever I was feeling down..." Tears were forming in her eyes now as she whispered, "I even, I mean, with you, with what I had with Wufei, it wasn't anything compared to what I felt for y-" Trowa lifted his fingers to her lips at that moment, causing her to look up at him with a hurt expression over her face.  
  
Bringing his hands up to her cheeks, he brushed away some of her tears with his thumbs and rested his forehead against hers.   
  
"Relena, that was in the past. What happened then does not apply anymore. I will still be here for you when you need me but, I can't be anything more..." Trowa felt about ready to kick himself at that moment, why would he want to push her away when he actually wanted her with him? Those words which she was so close to saying were words which he had been longing to hear for a very, very long time now. All he wanted was to voice out his feelings for her and show her just how much she meant to him, but no, he couldn't, he missed out on his opportunity a long time ago.  
  
Without saying anything more, Trowa released his hold on Relena and turned to leave the room without looking back once. Here he was, walking away from her once again, but this was all he could do. It was made perfectly clear that he was not meant for her, that he was not good enough to be with her and the worse part to this was, he didn't even defend himself about it either...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
As Trowa made his way to the car park, he took notice of Wufei getting into his car with Meiran and Midii and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes on him as he made his way to his own car. Wufei started up his car and went to drive out of the car park but when he caught sight of Trowa he instantly gave him one of his death glares before driving off. Ever since that little incident at the mall, Wufei had been a lot colder towards him, even more so than usual, but it's not like Trowa gave much notice to it. Wufei always seemed to be in a foul mood even when he wasn't having any issues so quite frankly, Trowa couldn't give a damn.  
  
It wasn't until he reached his car that he was surprised to actually see Heero leaning against it. Hiding his surprise to see him there, Trowa walked towards the driver's side door in order to unlock his car. He opened the door at that moment but didn't make any move to get in; instead he turned to look at Heero and waited to hear what he had to say.  
  
"I hear you have been spending a lot of time with Relena lately," Heero started as he pushed himself off Trowa's car. Trowa remained silent as he watched Heero turn to face him. His prussian blue eyes narrowed on him slightly before he continued, "Don't forget your place Trowa, I won't stop you from talking to her but you better not do anything else besides that."   
  
"If you're worried, why don't you talk to her yourself?" Trowa asked. Heero glared at him at that moment and slowly started to approach him.   
  
Standing right in front of him, Heero glared straight into Trowa's eyes and said, "You have nothing compared to me. Don't you even start thinking you've got the better of me because of Relena. She deserves better than what you could ever provide her so don't you dare try to do anything behind my back or I will seriously make you pay." With that said Heero pushed past him and made his way towards his own car, leaving Trowa deep in thought over his words just now.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Trowa didn't understand the meaning in Heero's words back then, but it wasn't long until it all made sense to him in the end. By his word, Trowa made no move to make his friendship with Relena anything more than it was. After all, he had nothing to offer her right? Unlike Heero and Wufei, he didn't have the money to throw around with as he pleased. It seemed money and power was more important in a relationship than what love seemed to be so Trowa had no chance with her. As stupid as that explanation seemed to be, he knew better then to believe such a thing but he merely obeyed just to prove a point. It hasn't been made yet but when it does, Heero will regret trying to even think he could do as he pleased with Relena's life.  
  
********************************  
  
Leaning against the wall down the back of the family room, Quatre starred down at his drink and stirred it around a little. This was his fifth drink so far and he wondered if this should be his last. His head was already beginning to spin and he wanted to keep an eye on things so he was not about to get himself totally drunk like Mariemaia and the rest of them. Looking up at the karaoke machine which Mariemaia had set up, he saw her up there singing a Britney Spear's song. Quatre sighed when he had to keep hearing the same repeated 'Oops! I did it again' tune, it was beginning to drive him up the wall.  
  
"Hey Quatre!" Duo said as he stumbled his way over to the blonde, "Great party eh?"  
  
"Yes, quite," Quatre replied as he raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Geez Quatre, you could have said that with a bit more enthusiasm!" Duo said as he slapped Quatre a few times over the back, "Eh well, what can I do? You never let yourself go do you?" Holding his drink up to him as he wobbled about a little he added, "Don't be afraid to have a good time already! Geez, eighteen only comes once!!" Waving his hand about at the numerous other people, Duo continued, "See? Look at everyone else here! Even I-" His eyes widened at that moment when he caught guard of something across the room, causing Quatre to look at him in question.  
  
"Hell yeah! You can't have a sculling contest without me!" Duo yelled as he made his way to the small group of guys drinking four litre canisters of beer.  
  
Quatre watched him go for a moment and wondered if he should stop him, although he made no move to. Alex and Mueller were at the drinking competitions as well, and judging by the way they were stumbling around, they seemed to be just as much out of it as what Duo was. Looking up at the mini stage again, Quatre's eyes widened when he saw Relena suddenly up there as well, holding a drink in hand as she smiled at Mariemaia.  
  
"Hey Rel, came up her to sing with me too eh!?" Mariemaia asked as she held onto Relena's shoulder for support.  
  
"Damn straight I have! Can't have you singing up here on your own ya know!" Relena said as she took hold of Mariemaia's hand which held the microphone, "Come on! Just like old times ok?"  
  
"Yeah! Rock on!!!" Mariemaia yelled as she stumbled on the cord of the microphone and fell over, causing Relena to fall on top of her as well. What got better was when Relena's drink had landed all over Mariemaia' body at that moment too, causing Mariemaia to shriek at the coldness at first but laughed as she got them both up again.   
  
As they both started singing together on the stage, some guy from the crowd suddenly yelled, "Come on, dance for us!!!" Mariemaia and Relena looked down at him for a moment and laughed at his request, although many other guys were starting to demand the same thing and were soon chanting for them to. Quatre was getting worried now, judging by the drunken faces of his two female friends, he was beginning to wonder if they even knew what was going on.  
  
"You want us to dance now!? God, make up your mind!" Mariemaia said as she began to laugh. Turning to Relena she wrapped her arm around her waist and pressed her body up against hers saying, "How is this!?" The guys were whistling at them now, making wolf calls as they begged for them to keep going. Relena smiled at Mariemaia and rubbed her hands over her bare legs. Mariemaia then kissed Relena on the cheek, causing the guys to go crazy, begging for more in the process.   
  
Before anything else could happen, Quatre made his onto the stage and dragged both of them down, ignoring the insults that were being thrown his way. There was no way that Quatre was about to have Mariemaia and Relena do something they will regret later, if that kiss wasn't already enough. Bringing them into the lounge room he sat them both on a sofa and said, "I think you two need to rest for a bit alright?"  
  
"Aww, Quatre! You ruined our show!" Mariemaia whined as she grabbed hold of his arm, "What will my fans think of me now!?" Quatre just raised an eyebrow at her and wondered if she even knew where she was anymore.   
  
Hilde walked in at that moment and took Mariemaia's free hand and asked, "Hey Marie! I need a dancing partner!"  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you but I ain't Trowa," Mariemaia slurred as she got herself pulled onto her feet, "But I can dance, hell yeah I can dance!"  
  
"That's all I need," Hilde said as she wrapped Mariemaia's arm around her neck, "Come on, let's go." Hilde turned to leave at that moment but tripped on the rug which was curled up in front of them, sending both girls onto the ground. Quatre went over to them at that moment and got them onto their feet and sighed when they burst out laughing.  
  
"Aw Quatre, join us!" Mariemaia asked as she wrapped her arm around his waist.  
  
"Yeah Quatre, we promise you will have a good time!" Hilde said as she wrapped her arm around him as well.  
  
"Um, thanks but I think I should watch over Miss Relena, "Quatre replied, causing both girls to pout as they released their hold on him.  
  
"Relena, Relena, Relena, always Relena. Are we not good enough for you Quatre?" Hilde said as she then pushed him away from her.  
  
"Oh don't be sad, "Mariemaia said as she took her hand, "I am still here! Now, how about that dance?"  
  
"Right on! But who plays as the guy?"  
  
"What guy?"  
  
"Well we can't dance if we're both females."  
  
"Well, you look more like a guy so you play it."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Oh fine, I will be the guy," Mariemaia said as she tried lifting Hilde off the ground in a heroic way but as she tried to, it resulted in both of them walking into the wall.  
  
"Geez, watch where you are going buddy!" Hilde mouthed off at the wall as she dragged Mariemaia out the door, which was right next to them. Quatre watched them go and wondered if it was such a good idea to let them go out there again. Everyone was totally off their faces and Quatre was beginning to wonder what's going to happen later in the morning. Peering down at his watch, he found the time being close to twelve o'clock. Turning to Relena, he found her suddenly laughing her head off which didn't make any sense to him at all.  
  
"What's so funny?" Quatre asked as she then smiled at him.  
  
"Have you ever gotten drunk?" Relena asked.  
  
Staring at her for a moment he shook his head and replied, "No I haven't."  
  
"Aww, you are missing out majorly," Relena replied as she turned to stare up at the ceiling, smiling at the blurry vision she was getting from the flashing lights above her. Quatre just stared at her and wondered what the good side to getting drunk was suppose to be. Sure it may help you have a great time but for one thing, it makes you do the most stupidest things without thinking of the consequences and in the end, it results in you having the most unbearable hangovers later on.  
  
"I can never help myself," Relena said, "And I promised myself not to over drink either. Yep, just one I said, just one. Now look at me!" Turning to Quatre once again, she smiled as she got up and walked over to him, "You are so sweet Quatre, have I ever told you that?" Quatre watched her come up to him and tensed when she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
"Miss Relena..." Quatre said as he brought his hands up to her arms, "You are drunk, I insist that you go back to the sofa to rest a little longer."  
  
Smiling at him, Relena pressed her body up against his and whispered, "Can you keep me company?" Before Quatre could reply, Relena turned him towards the sofa and pressed his back against it. Quatre's eyes widened at her actions and started getting nervous when Relena suddenly climbed on top of him. Relena smiled as she brought her head closer to his and leaned her head down by his ear, "You are very cute Quatre. Do you what to know how much you turned me on when I saw you working out that day?" Quatre couldn't help but blush at that comment, causing Relena to smile.  
  
Quatre didn't know what to do, talking didn't seem to work and even when he tried brushing her off him, that resulted with him on the sofa so he was pretty much in a helpless position. This was not helping him one bit, he knew logically that he needed to get her off him before she did anything which she would regret later. She was already saying things which she normally wouldn't say so he needed to stop her before she did anything. What caught him off guard was when he suddenly felt Relena's soft lips around his ear lobe. He stiffened when he felt her nibbling softly on his ear, sending electricity down his down his body as he moaned with pleasure.  
  
It was then that Relena's lips then traveled to his neck, pressing soft kisses down his throat. Quatre closed his eyes to savour the feeling he was getting from her kisses, he knew he should stop her but part of him didn't want this to end. He was fully aware of what was going on around him, but he had been drinking himself so his logic wasn't in its common state of mind at the moment. Part of him knew that he should stop her, his mind was screaming for him to put an end to this, although his heart was saying otherwise. His head was spinning and he was beginning to feel a little drowsy himself.  
  
Reaching his hands up to her back, he rubbed his hands along the fish net material slowly but as his hands found their way up to her shoulders he quickly flipped her over, making him now the one on the top. Looking down at her as he took in deep breaths of air to settle his pounding heart he whispered, "Don't do this Miss Relena, you don't know what you are doing and I can't take advantage on you like this... It's not right." There, he did it, although it took more than what he thought it would.  
  
Looking into his eyes at that moment, Relena stared at him blankly and said, "But he would have wanted me to do this if I was still with him. Since I didn't, he hated me for it..." Tears started swelling up in her eyes now as she turned her head off to the side, "I didn't love him enough; I was the one in the wrong..."   
  
Quatre brushed away the tears that were cascading down her face, and slowly got him self off her body. What did she mean by 'he'? Who was she referring to just now? Turning his soft gaze towards hers he said, "I'm just going to get you some water ok?" Relena didn't answer; instead she closed her eyes and turned her back on him as she curled up into a ball on the sofa. Quatre looked at her sadly for a moment before turning to leave the room, he would help her if he knew what she was referring to but since she was drunk, he had no way of knowing if this was anything to worry about or not.   
  
He had bigger problems of his own to settle though; he was very close to taking Relena right there and then. Luckily she didn't kiss him on the lips; otherwise he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from being with her. These feelings he had for her needed to be rid of, and very soon too.   
  
Bring his hand to his forehead as he made his way through the swaying bodies of people dancing to some disco music, Quatre was beginning to wonder if maybe he should be the one laying down. One thing was for certain, if he went back and allowed Relena to do what she did to his body just now, he knew he would lose control and take her if it was in his power to. It wasn't right to think like that, but he was male, and considering that he had been drinking, logic wasn't in the picture anymore.  
  
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Closing the sliding door behind him, Duo stumbled his way over to one of the tables and sat himself down on the nearest chair. He needed air, his head was pounding because of the music and his stomach was beginning to turn. He was thankful to see no one else out here, he needed quiet and the time to clear his head as well. This party was definitely one of the best that he had been to for a while; everyone was completely off their faces and were having a wild time. But after the party was over, he and the rest of the group will be the ones stuck doing all the cleaning the next day, 'How fun, I can't wait.'  
  
Suddenly he heard the sliding door opening behind him, causing him to sigh when he was hoping for some peace. Turning his head in the direction of the person coming to sit down at his table, he eyes widened when he found it being Dorothy. Dorothy of all people! Now he REALLY wished for some time alone. If he had to put up with someone, she would be the last one on his list.  
  
Watching as she put her drink on the table as she went to lean her head in her folded arms, Duo grinned and said, "Well, if it isn't little Miss. Prissy, I haven't had any insults thrown my way for quite some time from you now."  
  
"Get lost Duo, I didn't come here to get any shit from you," Dorothy said as she raised her head up to his to glare at him, "Quite frankly, you can go screw yourself for all I care now leave me alone you asshole."  
  
"Whoa, hey now, watch the language girl, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Duo asked as he raised an eyebrow at her, "Besides, I was out here first."  
  
"If I wasn't mistaken, YOU were the one who started on ME first, so what right do you have to say such things to when really I should be the one saying what you said back at you instead."   
  
Duo just stared at her blankly for a moment there, not understanding a word of what she had just said. Instead he gave her a big smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulders saying, "You know, even if you my totally hate my guts and wish I were dead and what not, I reckon you should stop throwing your anger out at me already. It's not good for you after all, hell it's not good for me either." Duo laughed at that moment, although he was surprised that Dorothy hadn't tried throwing him to the ground yet since he had his arm around her.  
  
Dorothy grinned at that comment and said, "I would have to say that I disagree with you there. In point of fact, throwing you're anger out on others actually feels good believe it or not. Even if you don't have a problem with them specifically, it makes things easier on you that way." Once again Duo had trouble trying to get what she was on about. Dorothy turned to face him at that moment and as her blue eyes came in contact with his cobalt blue ones, he could instantly tell she was pretty much wasted as well. No wonder he couldn't understand her, she must speak a lot of crap when ever she gets drunk.  
  
"You agree with me do you not Duo? It is good throwing out your anger on others to ease the pain which you are feeling on the inside correct? Yes it is rather rude for the person who is insulting them to do such a thing since the person getting insulted didn't do anything wrong to them. But the person who is insulting them makes things easier on themselves since the person they insulted didn't do anything to them and wouldn't know what their problem is anyway so no matter what they do, it wouldn't be able to affect the person insulting them."   
  
Dorothy smirked at him at that moment and went to grab her drink at that moment and smiled as she leaned back to drink the whole glass. Duo watched as she was drinking and couldn't help but notice how sexy she seemed at the moment. She was wearing a glittery purple top which cut in a very low 'V' shape and wore a black skirt which had very high cut slits down each side, revealing a lot of her legs.  
  
Gasping for air as she finished the whole thing off, she threw it behind her and suddenly sat herself down on Duo's lap, "You know, have I ever told you how much I envy you?" Duo was beginning to sober after having the shock of her suddenly sitting on his lap. If things couldn't get any stranger, she is suddenly saying she envies him!? Duo opened his mouth to inquire about this but Dorothy beat him to it, "You are an ignorant, self-centered bastard who cares about no one but himself."   
  
Duo was getting even more confused now. Watching as Dorothy raised her hands to his shoulders she added, "But that's what I like so much about you. You don't take any shit from nobody. You do as you please, hell, you're the happiest guy I know yet you have nothing compared to me! How is it that you have more happiness than I do when I am the one with the money and the power to do what ever I want!?" Wrapping her hands around Duo's neck as she leaned closer to him she whispered, "Why can't I be happy like you? I hate you for being so god damn proud of yourself."  
  
This was a shock to the system now, Duo knew people had a way with speaking crap when they get drunk but there were others who held no hesitation in telling their darkest secrets at the same time. He always assumed that Dorothy was just a stuck up bitch who would do anything for attention and just hated him because he was actually one of the few people at school who would stand up for himself. Would she remember herself telling him this later on?  
  
"Err, Dorothy, I don't know what to say. Do you feel like talking at the moment?" Duo asked as he looked up at her. Dorothy looked at him with a blank expression for a moment while her head was beginning to spin. Smiling at him as she tightened her hold around his neck, she started lowering her head down towards his and before Duo could even realise what was going on, he went into shock when he suddenly felt her lips pressed up against his. Bringing his hands up to her arms in order to release himself from her hold, he was surprised to suddenly feel his chair tip over. Now being stuck on the ground with Dorothy now on top of him, she chuckled a little and went back to kissing him.  
  
There were three problems with this. One - when Dorothy finally gets some sense knocked into her, she will seriously consider kicking his arse for this (even though this wasn't his fault). Two - what would Quatre think if he found out he got physically attached to his sister while she was drunk? He would probably think he got her drunk on purpose so he could do this with her. And finally, three - why was he letting this continue? Was he actually enjoying this? How could he? He hated this girl... didn't he?  
  
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Quatre was relieved to find no one in the kitchen, the whole house was so crowded that he assumed every room was packed so it was nice finally having some space to actually breath. Opening one of the cupboard doors which were above the kitchen counter, Quatre reached for a glass and went to the sink to get some water. His body still felt very over heated and he was finding hard to get the image of Relena kissing him out of his mind. He hoped that she won't remember any of this later, considering she didn't know what she was doing, she could very well hate him for allowing her to behave in such a way. Taking a deep breath as he rubbed fingers over his eye lids, Quatre hoped for the party to end soon, this was all becoming too much for him to take.  
  
"Maybe I should have drunk myself stupid as well," Quatre murmured to himself, at least he wouldn't have to concern himself over any of this. It seemed to be normal so why was he the only one worrying so much? Just as he turned the tap off, his senses went off when he suddenly heard something behind him. Turning his vision towards the entrance of the kitchen, he raised an eyebrow and thought, 'Hang on, I don't remember closing the door when I walked in here.'  
  
"Hello Quatre," a feminine voice spoke behind him, causing Quatre to flinch when he recognized whose voice it was.   
  
Slowly turning his body around to face the person, he gave them a forced smile and said, "Hello, Miss. Sylvia, how are you, this... morning." Sylvia chuckled a little at as she slowly walked up to him, her red high heeled sandals echoing around the room as they were brought down on the tiled floor. Stopping right in front of him she gave Quatre a seductive smile and brought her hands up to his chest.  
  
"I've missed you," Sylvia said as she trailed one of her hands over the buttons of his dark blue top, "I haven't had the chance to talk to you for a while."  
  
"Well, I will have all the time to talk to you later but right now, I have to go." Just as Quatre tried walking around her, he was stopped when she suddenly stepped in front of him.   
  
Letting out a little yawn as she stretched her arms over her head she bucked her eye lashes at him and asked innocently, "I haven't had the chance to ask you what you thought about my outfit." Slowly bringing her hands to her face as she then let them slowly travel down her neck and chest, she allowed them to slowly slip down between her breasts and made them stay there. Quatre watched every movement of her hands and couldn't help but feel his temperature rising again as he flushed a little. The red top she was wearing did indeed look nice, as skimpy and revealing as it was, although it didn't compare to Relena's top which was twice as revealing as hers.  
  
"Um, it's very nice Miss Sylvia," Quatre answered, "Now, if you will excuse me I-" Sylvia backed Quatre into the corner of the counter at that moment and smiled as she turned her back on him. Quatre watched her quizzically for a moment before he suddenly saw her hands bring her ash blonde hair over her head, allowing him to gaze upon her back.  
  
"Quatre, I have a slight problem, I can't seem to tie the lace at the back of my top up again. Would you mind?" Bringing his vision down to her top, he did indeed see the lace untied behind her, although he had to wonder how it even came undone in the first place. Standing there for a moment, Quatre suddenly remembered that he had to go give Relena some water but how was he going to do that with Sylvia preventing him from doing so? His head was beginning to spin again; this definitely wasn't a good thing either, especially with Sylvia around.  
  
"Come on Quatre, don't be shy," Sylvia insisted, smiling to herself as she started backing up towards him. Pressing her buttocks firmly onto Quatre's thigh, Sylvia lowered her head and arched her back slightly to give Quatre more access to her body. Quatre could feel sweat building up on his forehead now, if things weren't already bad enough with Relena hitting onto him, he now had Sylvia to worry about. The difference here though was that Sylvia didn't seem drunk, in point of fact, she seemed very well aware of what she was doing. What Quatre wouldn't give to have someone save him right about now.  
  
Slowly bringing his hands up as he went to grab hold of the laces hanging down Sylvia's top, Quatre could feel his mouth going dry as he tried keeping his nerves it a minimal. Being as careful as he could to not touch Sylvia's skin, he slowly brought the laces into his grasp and went to tie them back into a bow. His hands were shaking like mad as he tried tying the laces together. He couldn't bring himself to relax, with the way Sylvia was rubbing herself over his body like she was, Quatre was finding it harder and harder to remain in control. As sober as he assumed he was, he couldn't deny that the drinks he had consumed were beginning to screw around with his mind. He was in a dangerous position, he knew it, yet he was doing nothing to get out of it.  
  
Sylvia smirked to herself as she could feel Quatre's nervous hands work on her top. He was trying to be gentle, she could tell, although she wasn't sure how long she could just stand around like this. Turning to face him, throwing her undone laces out of mind, she smiled at him and brought her hands up to his cheeks. Quatre sighed as he closed his eyes, savoring the way she was touching him. This was like the way she touched him at school when they were in the library. Back then, he didn't have alcohol in his system so he could remain in control of his body. Although this time, he was finding it harder and harder to not be tempted by her.   
  
Sylvia was indeed beautiful, and she obviously knew how to make a guy swoon. Her touch over his body was heavenly and he could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker by the moment. Sylvia brought her hands down to the collar of his shirt and followed her hands down to the buttons which separated her from his well defined chest. As she went to undo them, Quatre's hands slowly grasped her wrists in order to stop her, although she could tell he was giving into his urges.  
  
"Please, Miss. Sylvia... Don't..." Quatre pleaded his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"The question is… Do you want me to stop?" Sylvia asked, leaning her head up towards his ear, "Do you... Quatre?" She whispered seductively. Quatre's vision was beginning to blur now, he was tired and the alcohol was beginning to make him drowsy. Lowering his eyes to hers, Quatre blinked at her for a few moments and brought his hands up to her shoulders in order to push her off him. Although when he did, he didn't push her away, instead he brought her closer to his body. Sylvia smiled as she worked on the buttons of his shirt, pressing kisses onto his chest as she was doing so. Quatre closed his eyes and leaned his head on her shoulder, allowing his warm hands to drift behind her back.  
  
Quatre felt his shirt fully undone at that moment, he could feel her hands rubbing against him and all he wanted was for her to keep going. Sylvia smiled to herself as she felt Quatre's hands work up and down her body, she moaned with pleasure at his touch. Leaning her head up to his, she smiled sweetly at him as she slowly allowed her head to come closer to his. Her focus was on nothing but his lips, how she longed to taste them and now, it seemed that her opportunity has finally come. Quatre looked down at her at that moment and saw her head coming closer to his. He however remained still as he watched this unfold before him, should he kiss her? Did he really want her that badly?  
  
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Relena stirred around on the sofa for a moment before getting herself into sitting position, her head was spinning and her throat was dry. Was it just her imagination or wasn't Quatre suppose to be getting her a drink or something? In her state of mind though, she brushed it off as some hallucination. Slowly bringing herself to her feet, she longed for another drink but she once again fell back into the sofa.   
  
Muttering curses to herself she went to try again but was surprised to suddenly see a drink being handed to her. Sighing with relief she took the glass thankfully and went to scull the whole thing down her mouth. She had expected it to be water but instead it was more vodka and she coughed a little at first. She felt someone patting her back at that moment and she turned to ask Quatre why he didn't get her water but went into a state of shock when she found it being...  
  
"W-Wufei? What are you doing here?" Relena asked, trying to focus her eyes on the Chinese man before her. She couldn't see his face very well, although she knew it was him because of his dark complexion and black hair.  
  
"I came to the party like everyone else," Wufei replied.  
  
"Oh, yeah well that's obvious. I was just curious as to why YOU are here," Relena said as she tapped her finger on his nose.  
  
"To celebrate Mariemaia's eighteenth, like everyone else," Wufei simply replied. Relena stared at him blankly for a moment before she suddenly burst into laughter. Wufei stared at her blankly for a moment as Relena tried calming herself down, although it wasn't quite working.   
  
"Oh please Wufei," Relena said between laughs, "Like you would give a damn about her birthday! Like hell most of the people HERE would give a damn about her birthday. They are just here for the free drinks and food!" Relena continued laughing, since she found it so stupid for Wufei to actually 'care' about things like this. She knew him better than that and she almost felt offended that Wufei would expect her believe that story. Leaning her head on his lap in order to calm herself down, she suddenly felt Wufei's fingers tracing lines around her back.   
  
Bringing her head up towards him again, she let out a few more chuckles before asking, "No seriously, why are you here?"  
  
"You don't believe me?" Wufei asked as he raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Damn straight I don't, you could fool anyone else with that poor explanation but you would have to do better than THAT on me!"   
  
Wufei smiled at her at that moment and shifted a little closer to her, "What makes you think I'm lying?"  
  
Tapping her index finger under her lower lip, she pondered over it for a while before turning to him saying, "Because you are the type not to give a shit about other people's feelings."  
  
"Oh really? And what gave you that impression?" Wufei asked, shifting a little closer to her with his leg now touching her own.  
  
"Well, for one thing, you hate Mariemaia so I can't see how you would be here to celebrate her birthday. Secondly, you don't usually celebrate anyone's birthday for that matter, whether if it is Mariemaia's or Trowa's or what ever. Thirdly, you're always busy anyway so you don't usually attend things like this..." Pausing for a moment she turned her vision towards his and asked, "Have I made my point clear?"  
  
Wufei's arm wrapped itself around Relena's waist at that moment, "Is there anything else you would want to criticize me for?"  
  
"Um, actually." Looking around for a moment she asked, "Where's your bitch?"  
  
Wufei stared at her blankly and asked, "My what?"  
  
"Your girl friend, the one who will gives you sexual pleasure when ever you desire it," Relena blurted out.  
  
"Oh, Midii," Wufei simply replied, "She is around, somewhere."  
  
"Funny, I thought she would be by your side," Looking over Wufei's shoulder she added, "Unless if she has taken an invisible form now..."  
  
"You're really drunk aren't you?"  
  
"Who wants to know? I'm celebrating Mariemaia's birthday for real!" Holding up her empty glass she continued, "Unlike you I actually care about the people around me and I am here to show that."  
  
Wufei snorted at that and brought his other hand up to her raised one, "I care. It just depends on who you're talking about." Releasing her hand from the empty glass as it fell to the ground he wrapped his fingers around hers and lowered her hand to his lips, kissing them softly.   
  
Relena stared at him blankly for a moment before saying, "If you say you do care… then how come I have never seen it before?"   
  
Tightening his hold on Relena as he brought her hand up to his cheek he looked at her intently and answered, "I wasn't aware back then..." Leaning closer to her he finished, "... Until now..." Relena remained blank. Tilting her head off to the side a little, she opened her mouth to say something but was silenced when she felt Wufei's lips pressed up against hers. Relena's eyes widened at first, though the spinning in her head was making things harder for her to process what was going on.  
  
Opening her mouth slightly as she moaned against his lips, she was surprised to suddenly feel Wufei's tongue invade her mouth as it began dancing around her mouth. She felt her body being lowered to the sofa at that moment and felt Wufei's body now pressed on top of hers. In desperate need for air she pulled away slightly and gasped as she allowed air to finally enter in her lungs. Relena looked up at Wufei for a moment and moaned as she felt Wufei's hands rub against her hips. His hands then traveled to her stomach and started working their way up Relena's fish net top.  
  
"Wufei, what about, Midii," Relena sighed as she brought her hands up to his wrists to stop him. Without an answer, Relena suddenly felt herself being pulled off the sofa, causing her to stumble and fall within Wufei's embrace. Rising off the sofa so suddenly caused her head to spin even more than it already was, although it seemed as though she was being lead out the room and into the family one. Wufei had his arm around her waist and was guiding her through the crowds of people in the room. Before she knew it, Relena felt herself being dragged up some stairs.  
  
"Wufei...?" Relena whispered as she heard a door opening. It was dark but the moon light from the window to the far side of the room shone brightly to give some view on where she was. A bedroom. Relena was now lowered onto the king sized bed, her head laying on one of the numerous pillows on the bed head. Closing her eyes at the comfort of the bed, she tensed slightly when she felt Wufei's body making its way up hers. Lowering his head towards her own, Wufei pressed his lips against Relena's and began kissing her passionately as his hands started making their way up her top once more.  
  
"Wufei," Relena sighed against his mouth, "What about Midii...?"  
  
"I don't give a damn about her," Wufei replied as he started nibbling on her ear lobe.  
  
"But, she is your, girl friend," Relena moaned.  
  
"No she isn't," Wufei replied as he brought his head up to look in her eyes, "If anyone is my girl friend, you are..."  
  
Relena looked up at him in confusion and said, "B-but you, you went off with Midii..." Tears started swelling up in her eyes at that moment, "You went behind my back with Midii for months before she suddenly kissed you in front of me at the cafe that day..."   
  
Wufei rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks softly and said, "I don't want her, I want you, I need you... And I want you now..." Before she knew it, her fish net top had been pulled off her body, leaving her in nothing but the skimpy boob tube top Mariemaia had made her wear. Sending kisses down her neck and throat as he continued to lower his head down her body and stopped when he came across her top. Bring his hand up to untie the lacing which held the top around Relena's breasts, Relena's hand quickly grabbed hold of his, stopping him from going any further.  
  
"Relena, you can't say that you don't feel for me anymore," Wufei said as he looked down at her, "I got you this far, why are you stopping now?"  
  
Tears began to cascade down Relena's eyes once more as she whispered, "This was the reason why you went behind my back in the first place... Because I didn't want to..."   
  
Softly brushing his lips against hers he looked down at her with his black eyes and said, "I love you, and you feel the same way about me..." Gently trying to brush his hand out of her grasp he lowered his head to her ear and whispered, "You know what happened when you continuously turned me down, don't repeat what you regretted then. Take this opportunity to right a wrong which you did in the past... I'm here now, and I won't let go..." Relena continued to sob quietly to herself as the past started flooding into her head once more.   
  
"I never broke up with you, and you never broke up with me. Therefore, you are still mine." Relena closed her eyes at that moment and indeed found his statement being true. They never did call if off between them but considering that he went off with Midii; didn't that automatically mean a break up? As much as she didn't want to this right now, she couldn't deny that she didn't want to be lonely anymore. She didn't want to be judged, she needed him… She needed his strength... Squeezing her eye lids more tightly together to stop the tears from falling, she slowly released her hold on his hand and dropped it to the bed.  
  
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Author's Note: Whooo!! I mean *coughs* Oh dear, Quatre, Duo, Relena *shakes head* that's what happens when you drink too much. ^_^ Although you have to wonder about the people taking advantage on them huh? Hehehe, well, this will be sorted out in the next chapter. I'm sorry that I didn't keep my word about Trowa, Heero and Wufei!!! I wanted to put everything in this chapter, really I did!! But it just didn't work _ But don't worry, it is all in the next chapter!! Next time I will be sure to keep my mouth zipped shut instead of promising things which I won't keep in the end. I will say everything about them in the next chapter PROMISE! No wait; I wasn't supposed to promise anymore was I? Ok, scrap that last bit lol ^_^  
  
It did mention some things about Trowa, Heero and Wufei so it wasn't all THAT bad. Not everything was stated but you know, my chapters are already long enough without me needing to add more right? Well, I hope you liked it. It was odd, but they were drinking after all ^_~ See ya!!  
  
P.S - I will appreciate reviews!!! Please review!!! I will love you for ever and ever if you do lol!!!  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	14. Chapter 13

Don't Push Me Away  
  
by Neon Fantasy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
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" --- " - Speaking ' --- ' - Thinking  
  
Using the last of his restored energy, Quatre sprinted his way up a steep hill and felt close to collapsing when he finally reached the top. Puffing and panting as he leaned his hands over his knees, he decided to use this time to rest. He didn't know how long he had been running for, all he knew was that he had pushed himself a lot harder than normal and was just now feeling the strain.  
  
Slowly walking up to a tree which was a couple of metres away from him, he turned and pressed his back against it for support. Still struggling for air, Quatre continued taking deep breaths as slid his back down the trunk to sit himself down on the grass.  
  
He hadn't been able to sleep. Even after all the problems which happened last night and when everyone was finally forced to leave, he couldn't bring himself to sleep on the incidents and issues which were brought up around him. He had been waiting for answers to be put forward, he had been longing to know what it was that had affected Relena in such a way to make her who she was in the present. Now that he knew one side to it, Quatre was beginning to wonder if he can handle such information.  
  
Rubbing a hand through his short platinum hair, Quatre sighed and turned his head up towards the sky. By the intense heat of the sun, Quatre assumed it was sometime in the early afternoon. He had left Mariemaia's house sometime in the morning after cleaning her house and he wouldn't be surprised if he had been away for a few hours now. Since sleep wasn't an option, he had to keep himself busy so he took it upon himself to clean up after the party.  
  
Everyone was in such a terrible state from drinking so much that Quatre could hear the numerous sounds of chucking and spewing from the bathroom areas and it was enough to even make him feel sick. He had drinking a bit himself, but it wasn't enough to make him spew which he was grateful for. After what happened to him last night, it would be a very long time before he starts drinking again, it's wrong and it causes a lot of problems.  
  
One thing he wondered about was if Dorothy was up yet. He had found both Dorothy and Duo outside at about five in the morning and just the sight of them within each other's embrace started making him wonder how much they had to drink to make themselves get so close like that. It took him a while but he eventually got them both inside and got them to lie down on the couches around the lounge room. It was better off for both of them if they were sleeping separate; hopefully they won't remember being alone together like that by the time they wake up. Quatre was also thankful that they didn't go any further than hugging or perhaps kissing but they still had all their clothes on so he was relieved about that at least.  
  
Folding his arms behind his head as he continued to gaze around the park he was in, memories started flooding back into him about what had happened to HIM last night. Shaking his head in irritation, he closed his eyes and started to shudder at the scene he and Sylvia were in when she had came into the kitchen to see him.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Watching as Sylvia's head came closer and closer to his, Quatre's eye lids slowly started to close as he could feel Sylvia's breath on his lips. As weak as he was, he was going to allow her to do as she pleased with him but that was until the kitchen door suddenly opened. Quatre's head jerked up at that moment as he watched the person enter and he was relieved on the inside to have this distraction while Sylvia turned in irritation to look at the unexpected visitor.  
  
Trowa walked in and saw the two of them in the far corner but remained silent as he slowly approached them. Both Quatre and Sylvia had to move out of the way for him as he walked up to the cupboard which was above their heads.  
  
Removing a glass from the cupboard as he closed the doors, he then moved over to the fridge and reached for a four litre bottle of spring water. Quatre watched blankly as he did this while Sylvia was glaring angrily at him. Once having the bottle in his grasp, he walked over to the table at the opposite end of the kitchen and leaned himself against it while he slowly started to pour water into the glass. Placing the bottle on the table behind him, Trowa raised the glass to his lips and slowly started drinking, causing Sylvia to growl in the process.  
  
"Can you like, do that somewhere else!?" Sylvia demanded in an annoyed tone.  
  
Trowa finished the glass and reached for the bottle of water again as he poured his second glass, "I'm thirty, so I'm here for a drink."  
  
"As I can see, but you can do that out there!" Sylvia said in a louder tone, hardly affecting Trowa at all.  
  
"As you can continue with what you were doing just now as well," Trowa answered as he raised the glass to his mouth again.  
  
Sylvia continued to glare at him while Quatre began buttoning up his shirt again, but it wasn't long until Sylvia turned to look at him, "Tell him to get lost Quatre!"  
  
Staring at her blankly as he turned to look at Trowa, he could see the look on Trowa's face saying that he will go if he wanted him to, however that definitely was not what Quatre wanted. Turning to look at Sylvia apologetically he answered, "This is the kitchen Miss Sylvia so he has the right to drink in here if he wants to, I don't have the right to kick him out since this isn't my house."  
  
Sylvia wanted to scream right there and then. All she wanted was to smack Trowa out for interrupting them like that and she damned Quatre for being so bloody weak, but it was their word against hers right now and since they had higher authority in this house than she did, she really had no choice but to comply. The moment was spoiled between Quatre and herself and she knew that she wouldn't be able to have that scene repeat itself again, she missed her opportunity and she cursed Trowa for walking in on them like that.  
  
Glaring at Trowa once more she walked up to him and raised her hand to slap him but the look Trowa was giving her prevented Sylvia from doing any further. Instead she gave a humph and walked out the kitchen to join everyone in the family room, leaving Trowa and Quatre alone.  
  
Quatre let out a sigh of relief when she had finally left and turned to look at Trowa thankfully, "Thank you so much for that."  
  
Trowa got up to put the bottle of water back into the fridge when Quatre said this and asked, "For what?"  
  
"For saving me," Quatre answered as he watched Trowa put his glass on the sink.  
  
"I came for a drink," Trowa simply said as he turned to look at him. Quatre smiled at him but didn't say anything more on the topic. If Trowa did come in just for a drink then he had excellent timing although Quatre couldn't help thinking he came to prevent him from doing anything he knew he would regret later. Quatre would have went along with Sylvia's forwardness if it hadn't been for Trowa and he knew that he would curse himself for using her in such a way. Quatre did hvve to admit that he was attracted to Sylvia for reasons being because she was beautiful and that she was nice when she wanted to be but her reasons for wanting him were all wrong.  
  
"She doesn't know what she is doing..." Trowa suddenly said as though he just read his thoughts.  
  
Quatre slowly nodded in response, "She shouldn't need me to be happy..."  
  
Trowa nodded at that, "... False love."  
  
"Indeed," Quatre said, smiling at him in the process.  
  
It was then that someone else suddenly stumbled in the room, making Trowa and Quatre turn to stare at them blankly.  
  
Lucrezia turned to look at them with shock written all over her features, she was puffing and she looked upset at the same time. Rushing over to Quatre she rested her hands on his shoulders and said, "Oh Quatre, please, I need your help!" She was shaking and she looked about ready to cry, but Quatre didn't know what she was talking about.  
  
Lucrezia was trembling at that moment and grabbed hold of his hands in order to drag him out but Quatre wanted to know what was going on so he remained where he was.  
  
"Miss Lucrezia, calm down and tell me what is wrong."  
  
Lucrezia took a deep breath and turned her blue eyes to Quatre's, she was scared about what could happen and all because she opened up her big mouth. Why did she have to bring up an incident from the past? Now, because of her, a lot of trouble was going to start and she was powerless to stop it, "It... It has something to do with Relena..."  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Standing up from his spot on the grass, Quatre stretched the muscles in his arms and legs and started jogging again. He needed to head back to Mariemaia's house to see if everyone was up yet, or to see if they were at least all right. He had been gone for the whole day after all, since he had finished cleaning the house sometime around ten in the morning.  
  
Just as he made his way out from the park, Quatre suddenly pondered if whether or not he should go home quickly. He didn't live all that far from the park so if he went there, he could consider buying everyone dinner when he got back. Seeing this as a good idea, Quatre started jogging down the normal route he usually took when he jogged up and down from his place to the park and kept a steady pace as he finally arrived at his home. Puffing when he arrived by the gates, he pressed the intercom button to inform his staff of his return and went through the gate once it was opened for him.  
  
Peter came to open the door for him and smiled at Quatre as he walked inside, "Good afternoon Mr. Quatre, you have returned earlier than expected."  
  
Nodding in response to that, Quatre turned to Peter and said, "I've just come to have a quick shower so I could perhaps buy everyone something for dinner tonight."  
  
"Ah, is that so," Peter replied, "How about Chinese food sir?"  
  
Quatre smiled with agreement, "Good idea Peter, I will be down shortly since I will need a lift."  
  
Peter bowed to him as Quatre walked towards the stairs, but it wasn't until Quatre was half way up that he then asked, "How was the party sir?"  
  
Good thing Quatre wasn't jogging up the stairs, other wise he may have tripped over by that unexpected question. It wasn't Peter's place to ask such a thing since he was only a butler here at their house hold, but Quatre never wanted to treat his staff in such a disrespectful manner and so they always made casual conversation when ever Dorothy or his father weren't around. The question was harmless he admitted, and it was one he should have expected hearing but he still didn't feel quite comfortable talking about it.  
  
Biting his lower lip, Quatre turned his head to Peter with a forced smile and said, "It was... Fine thank you." He then quickened his pace at that moment to get up the stairs so no more questions would be asked about the party. Both he and Peter knew he was not a very good liar and in situations like this, Quatre cursed himself for it.  
  
Peter was no fool, he had watched over Quatre ever since he was a young boy and understood him well enough to know when something was troubling him and this was a good example of it. He also knew well enough that Quatre never did like opening up his problems if something was bothering him, like now so Peter had to respect that and not question any further. Peter was a little worried though, especially when it concerned the party Quatre attended to. He hoped that Quatre didn't get into any sort of trouble. He was after all sensible and wouldn't take drugs or anything so perhaps it might not have been anything too serious.  
  
Changing into a black zipped shirt and jeans, Quatre walked out of his room and headed down the stairs. Looking over at Peter who was still standing by the door, he was thankful that his butler wasn't going to continue questioning, which was good on his part since Quatre still hadn't sorted everything out in his head yet.  
  
"Ready to go Mr. Quatre?" Peter asked him.  
  
Quatre nodded in response and said, "Yes, I'm ready..."  
  
Peter nodded and opened the door for Quatre to walk through. It wasn't until he walked up to the door that Quatre looked over at Peter for a moment before smiling and saying,  
  
"Thank you..."  
  
Peter raised an eyebrow at him in question and asked, "For what sir?"  
  
Quatre smiled and answered, "For not questioning any further."  
  
Walking out the door after saying that, Peter blinked a few times in question, before watching Quatre head for the limousine. He should be use to Quatre's ability to read people, but it still catches him off guard like now for example. He was like his mother; she was just as sweet and understanding as well, not to mention she had that ability to read people too. It was too bad about...  
  
"Peter, sorry but I am in a little bit of a hurry so can we please leave now?" Quatre said as he walked back to him.  
  
"Oh sorry, forgive me Mr. Quatre," Peter said, shaking his head at himself for spacing out like that as he closed the door after him. Not wasting anymore time, he then walked over to the limousine to open the passenger door for Quatre. It wasn't long before Peter was now in the drivers seat and ready to head off.  
  
********************************  
  
Sitting out on the front porch, Relena sighed as she continued working on her drawing. She had been out here for a while since there was nothing much else for her to do. Everyone was still resting so she didn't want to disturb them, instead she figured coming outside would be a good thing to do since it was a nice day. She couldn't believe what time she actually got up. Relena never planned on getting up at around three in the afternoon, which has been the latest she had ever slept in before.  
  
One thing that puzzled her too was what might have happened at Mariemaia's party last night. She couldn't believe she had been drinking again since she couldn't remember anything. Once again she couldn't control herself and knowing what she is like when she drinks, she would have done some very stupid things. Hopefully Quatre or someone else would have stopped her if she was acting too stupid but what if they were drinking as well? Knowing them they probably were so this wasn't helping Relena calm down at all.  
  
Thinking more about it, Relena did remember herself being with someone. She couldn't remember much but she was very close to this person, as though she was maybe hugging them or something. The body warmth was what gave her that idea, but who was that person?  
  
Now thinking about it, this was beginning to get quite scary now. Who was she with!? Hopefully she didn't do anything she would regret, but that still doesn't help her calm down from the situation she was in.  
  
Sighing out loud as she glanced down at her picture, her eyes suddenly widened with shock at what her drawing had turned into, so much for her drawing being a bunch of flowers or an animal. If anything how could it have possibly transformed into Quatre!? Since when did she start drawing him all of a sudden!?  
  
Looking down at it more closely, she couldn't believe how much it actually did look like him. She had captured all his features right too, his sparkling eyes, that sweet smile of his, every strain of hair in it's right place and to think she had drawn this all from memory!  
  
The portrait reminded her of something though, his face. It wasn't that normal cheerful face he usually had on with that beautiful smile he always put on, something about it was different. His eyes seemed to show such so much emotion in them, as though he was happy, relieved, concerned and worried all at once. Even his smile, it wasn't a big and bright one but even though it was a slight curve it showed so much tenderness...  
  
'You will be alright Miss Relena... I'll be here for you, that I promise you...'  
  
"Where...? Where did those words come from?" Relena whispered to herself as she placed her hand over her chest. That line, those words...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Wufei lowered his head to hers and started kissing her again; one hand started working its way up Relena's skirt while the other slowly made its way to Relena's top. Relena kept her eyes closed as she went along with this but she was growing scared, even as Wufei's lips would brush against hers she could feel her lips quiver against his and she didn't know what to do. Tears were forming in her eyes as she felt Wufei's hand rest on her top and she kept her sobs bottled up while the tightness of her boob tube started getting looser.  
  
Wufei started kissing down her throat at that moment and slowly trailed his kisses down her chest to where her top was. His hand then traveled underneath it as the top was now about to shift aside from her body and Relena gasped when she felt Wufei's hand cup her breast.  
  
It was then that Relena suddenly heard a bang from the door; her eyes were closed so she didn't know what that was but it only occurred to her then that Wufei had stopped working away at her body. Opening her eyes slightly, Relena looked towards the door and found someone standing by the doorway. The light of the hallway made it hard for Relena to see this person's features since they were shadowed but she watched as they suddenly made their way towards them.  
  
"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" The person shouted as they suddenly launched themselves at Wufei, sending both of them off the bed and to the floor on the other side. Relena had no idea what was going on, her head hurt and she couldn't help but suddenly cry. She didn't know why she was sobbing like this but while she was crying, she could hear Wufei and the other person tackling each other around the floor before the fight started heading out the door. It was then that she felt, cold, scared and alone.  
  
Bringing her hands over her eyes as she lay helpless on the bed, she suddenly felt someone sit on the bed beside her. Not knowing who it was, she started to feel very insecure and frightened but those feelings withered away when she felt a blanket being wrapped around her body. Slowly opening her tear filled eyes, she looked up and felt a hand brush against her cheek softly as the person brushed back some hair behind her ear.  
  
"You will be alright Miss Relena..." A soft, kind voice spoke as they were about to get up from the bed. Without thinking, Relena quickly reached out for the person and pulled them back down on the bed. She wrapped her arms around them and laid her face against their chest as she started to cry again. It was dark so she couldn't tell who it was but deep down she felt that she could trust them and she some how felt comforted with them being here for her.  
  
Relena felt the person's arms wrap around her gently at that moment and felt their hand rub her back softly. They hugged her close and started to rock her body in order to make her feel more comforted. It was working too, Relena had stopped her crying and she felt that relaxed that she wanted to just fall asleep in their arms. It was then that she felt herself being lowered down to the bed and as she opened her eyes slowly, her eyes locked with a pair of shimmering blue/green ones. The person smiled down at her slightly and whispered, "I'll be here for you, that I promise you..."  
  
'Those eyes, that smile, their voice...' Relena raised her hand and cupped it on the person's cheek and felt their hand rest on top of hers. Their touch was so warm and gentle that she hoped they would never let go, but it was to her disappointment that they removed her hand from their face as they began to rise from the bed. Relena tried to examine their face more carefully but as she tried sitting up her eyes became so blurry that her head began to spin. Lying back down as she felt her eyes slowly beginning to close, she watched the figure walk out the doorway and saw the door close quietly after them before sleep over came her.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
Relena went blank for a moment as she stared down at the picture she had just drawn and realised that this was the image which had been imprinted in her mind that night because of the incident that happened last night. She was with Wufei, that much she remembered but how was she suddenly with him? And what were they doing?  
  
Biting her lower lip she could easily assume what it could have been about, her being on a bed and with Wufei on top of her... She started trembling at the thought of this and brought her hand over her mouth with overwhelming shock. Did she... Sleep with Wufei...?  
  
"Miss Relena?" A voice suddenly said with concern, causing Relena to quickly jump up from the ground to her feet as her drawing pad slipped to the ground. Quickly turning to the voice, Relena gave out a sigh of relief when she found it being Quatre.  
  
Quatre looked at her worriedly and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that... Are you okay?"  
  
Relena noticed the concern written over his features and quickly nodded saying, "Its ok Quatre, you did nothing wrong. Yes I'm fine and sorry to make you worry like that; I was just in deep thought and um... You just caught me by surprise that's all."  
  
Relena forced a smile at him to try and make up for having him worry like that but with the way he was staring at her, she probably figured he knew something was troubling her. Staring back at him in question, she noticed that he had a couple of plastic bags in his hand.  
  
"Um, did you go out?" Relena asked as she eyed the bags.  
  
Quatre glanced down at them himself and nodded as he looked back over to her saying, "Yes, I wanted to buy everyone dinner for tonight."  
  
"Oh, in that case how much do I owe you?" She started digging in her jean pockets as she went to pull her wallet out but just as she got it out, she jumped when she suddenly felt a hand wrap around hers. Bringing her head up to look at Quatre, her eyes widened in realisation of how close he suddenly was to her and she could feel her cheeks burn as a result of it.  
  
Quatre smiled down at her and shook his head saying, "You don't owe me anything, I wanted to buy everyone dinner myself so no one needs to pay me back..."  
  
Relena wasn't exactly listening to him right now; all she was focusing her thoughts on were his beautiful blue/green eyes. In a way she cursed him for having such stunning eyes since they were like magnets, always drawing her to them but she felt she could drown in the beauty of them all at the same time.  
  
She wasn't the only one staring though, Quatre was doing exactly the same, wondering at first if something was wrong but now he was staring into pools of her shimmering aquamarine eyes himself, but it didn't last long since the moment was broken with the sudden flashbacks of the night which had passed came into his mind again.  
  
With what had happened, this definitely wasn't what she needed right now. Letting go of her hand as he turned his vision off to the side a bit, he blushed slightly at his actions and suddenly took notice of Relena's drawing pad on the ground.  
  
It wasn't until Quatre picked it up that Relena had snapped back to reality and went into shock when he suddenly glanced over the pad. Her mouth hung open as she watched him look over the picture and her mind was spinning with excuses which she should say in order to explain it. When he looked over at her, she new it was about time she explained herself but just as she was about to speak he had beaten her to it saying, "This is very good Miss Relena, I never knew you were such a fine artist."  
  
Relena stared at him blankly for a moment there while Quatre just smiled and followed up, "I wish I had talents such as yours, I would give anything to draw as well as this."  
  
Relena thought he would react in 'some' negative away towards her drawing him like that, since it was almost scary finding out someone was drawing you behind your back.  
  
"Um... I'm not all that good at drawing. I mean, I never knew I could draw you so well just from memory so..." Trailing off for a bit as she looked at him, she became a bit worried when he just stared at her blankly all of a sudden.  
  
"Draw me?" Quatre asked in question as he looked down at the picture and turned it around for her to see. Relena almost felt like kicking herself when she saw that the picture was of a little puppy dog. The pages must have turned when she had jumped up before, and why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?  
  
Quatre just grinned at her and replied, "I never knew I was so hairy Miss Relena."  
  
While chuckling a little at his little joke, Relena just blushed and shook her head saying, "Err no, I was referring to another picture which I was drawing just now and I didn't figure that the pages turned over when I dropped the pad so-" It was only then that Relena realised what she was saying and if she felt like kicking herself before, she 'really' felt like doing it now. She should just roll over and die for bringing that out into the open, and now Quatre would probably think she is a freak.  
  
Noticing how upset Relena looked, Quatre looked down at the pad and rested the plastic bags on the ground to turn the pages over to the portrait of him self and blushed at how he looked.  
  
It wasn't that he hated the picture; in point of fact he loved it. The thing which he noticed though was that this expression over his features reminded him of how he watched over Relena last night and the fact that he was watching over her with so much emotion swelling up inside him it...  
  
Shaking his head to stop himself thinking back at that moment, he walked up to Relena and closed her drawing pad as he held it out to her saying, "That was very nice Miss Relena, I loved it. As I said, you are a very fine artist." Relena's face reddened at his compliment but she smiled slightly and took the pad from his hands.  
  
"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it... But it wasn't right of me to draw you like this without asking. It wasn't all that good anyway, not only didn't I ask if I could draw you but it doesn't even look good. I try to make my drawings look as best as I can but really, no matter what I do and no matter how long I spend in hoping it will look good in the end, it results t-" Relena cut off at that moment when she felt the tip of Quatre's index finger press gently against her lips.  
  
Her cheeks reddened as his hand then rested against her cheek as his thumb started turning in small circles across her skin. Relena's eyes closed at that moment as she savored the touch of his hand across her cheek and she could feel her heart beating rapidly when she felt his hand slowly travel under her chin as her head was tilted up towards his. Opening her eyes slightly as she locked her gaze with Quatre's, she watched his head slowly come closer to hers as he whispered, "You are a very good drawer Miss Relena and I am not lying..."  
  
Bringing his other arm around her waist, Quatre's gaze softened as he could feel himself being drawn towards her again. He wanted to pull away, really he did but softness of her skin against his hands and her glistening eyes were preventing him from even turning his gaze away from hers. He wasn't thinking anymore, instead it was his heart which was taking over his actions and before he knew it, his head was slowly lowering itself towards hers.  
  
Relena watched as Quatre's head started coming closer and closer towards her own and as a result she could feel her cheeks burning even redder in colour and could feel his warm breath cross her lips.  
  
Relena noticed Quatre's eyes close at that moment and she followed his example as her eye lids closed themselves. She could almost feel the tip of his lips touch hers slightly until there was suddenly a loud slam of the front door opening with an angry Dorothy storming out.  
  
Quatre and Relena jumped and watched Dorothy heading towards her car while Mariemaia rushed after her trying to calm her down. Duo wasn't too far behind either, he had his arms folded behind his head as he stood outside the door and watched Mariemaia doing what she can to talk to Dorothy but it resulted in the blonde slamming the front door of her car in Mariemaia's face before starting up the car and leaving before the redhead could say another word.  
  
Mariemaia rubbed her hand through her hair for a moment and walked back over to everyone as she sighed and said to Duo, "You know this is all your fault right?"  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow at her and shouted, "What!? MY FAULT!? She was the one who started making out with ME! So if anything I should be the one suing HER for taking advantages on ME while I was drunk!"  
  
Mariemaia just grinned at him for the improper use of tone there while Duo glared back at her saying, "Don't you start getting ideas now!! As I said I was drunk and she was also drunk, so this matter should just be forgotten and never brought up again!! IT WAS A MISTAKE!!"  
  
Mariemaia's grin widened as she replied, "I can tell this isn't something either of you will be forgetting so easily..." Pausing for a moment she added, "... Not to mention both of you wouldn't WANT to forget anyway..."  
  
Duo's eyes widened at her statement, causing Mariemaia to giggle at the face he was making. Duo noticed this and was about to explode with rage as well, that was before he suddenly saw Mariemaia's attention averted away from him as she now focused on Quatre and Relena before her.  
  
Looking over them for a moment, she grinned wickedly and asked, "Err... We didn't um... "Interrupt" anything did we?"  
  
Quatre and Relena blinked at her in confusion for a moment before looking over each other. It was then that both of them saw their hands around each other and quickly they parted as they turned their heads off to the side with their faces turning bright red, causing both Mariemaia and Duo to smirk at their actions. Quatre glanced over at Mariemaia and Duo for a moment and noticed the wicked grins on their faces, causing him to feel slightly uncomfortable with what may be running through their heads.  
  
Clearing his throat as he walked over to the bags of Chinese food, he was about to pick them up when suddenly Duo rushed over and picked them up for him saying, "Oh wicked, you bought us some dinner already eh Q-Man?"  
  
Quatre smiled and nodded in response but a thought suddenly crossed his mind, "Ah... It just came to me that Chinese food wouldn't be good for everyone's stomachs at the moment huh?"  
  
Duo went wide eyed at him but quickly recovered by wrapping an arm around his neck saying, "What are you talking about!? We are all perfectly fine and if you even try THINKING about throwing this food away I will personally make you pay!!"  
  
Laughing at his threat, Duo shook his head at how pathetic it sounded but his mind was on more important things right now, or he should say his stomach. Quickly rushing into the house again with the food he dragged Quatre in with him and announced to everyone else that dinner had arrived. Mariemaia on the other hand didn't exactly have food on the mind like Duo; if anything it concerned two certain shy people around here.  
  
Relena was about to walk inside with her drawing pad but before she could, Relena was actually stopped when she saw Mariemaia's arm blocking the entrance of the house. Looking over at her in question, Relena asked, "Is something wrong Mariemaia?"  
  
Mariemaia smiled and shook her head saying, "Oh no nothing is wrong with 'me' exactly, if anything it concerns two of my very special friends."  
  
Relena looked at Mariemaia worriedly and asked, "Oh no, are they alright? What happened?"  
  
Mariemaia blinked a couple of time in confusion before she started giggling at her friend's naivety, "Hey, I am referring to you and Quatre here missy!!" Pointing her index finger close to Relena's forehead she continued, "And I am wondering when you and Quatre are going to start opening your eyes to what's going on between you both!"  
  
Relena stared at Mariemaia blankly for a moment and was about to ask what she was referring to but Mariemaia recognized that look as though she was reading her mind and answered, "Don't give me that clueless look Rellie, you really like Quatre don't you?"  
  
Relena's eyes widened at that question, not to mention she could feel her temperature rising along with her face turning red, "W-What are y-you t- talking about!?"  
  
Mariemaia sighed and went to bring out the evidence of her words before she suddenly noticed Hilde standing by the door, "Hey you two!! You better come and get something to eat before Duo decides to claim it all for him self!"  
  
Relena took advantage of this distraction and quickly raced inside, causing Hilde to raise an eyebrow at her behaviour. Mariemaia was about to mouth of at Hilde for allowing Relena to escape like that but a thought suddenly crossed her mind just now, causing her to grin evilly.  
  
'Hehe, so you think you are out of the clearing already huh Rellie? Oh you are SO wrong.'  
  
Looking over at Hilde who was watching at her suspiciously, Mariemaia smiled and walked over to her as she said in a low tone, "We are going to have some fun later on." While Hilde just looked at her in curiosity, Mariemaia winked and wrapped an arm over her neck as she walked back inside with her discussing the 'plan' she had in store for Relena, not to mention Quatre as well.  
  
********************************  
  
Lying down on the king sized bed which was in the room he shared with Duo, Quatre stared up at the ceiling while he thought back at the night before. It was lucky that nothing too serious happened that night, compared to what could have happened anyway. He was thankful that Relena didn't remember those incidents which happened and even though her picture scared him slightly, having her not remember anything was more important.  
  
Since that picture reflected that night though, could she have possibly remembered even though she had been drinking a lot? As much as he wanted to ask, Quatre knew that would most definitely make her remember what happened so it was too risky. Hopefully she may talk to Mariemaia or Hilde about it since they were her closest female friends; it seemed like an issue which she should talk to them about if she needed it.  
  
There were still some things which he needed to sort out himself. With what had happened last night, he had a feeling that there was more to it than what he saw. It seemed as though it went further back as a past issue. It was just as assumption but it was a feeling which Quatre knew he couldn't be wrong about. It scared him sometimes when he could almost see more than what he should when it was over matters which didn't concern him but he wanted to do what he could to help them though, Wufei and Heero...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
Racing up the stairs with Trowa and Lucrezia with him, Quatre raced towards Relena's room and went into shock when he saw Wufei suddenly thrown out the room. He hit the wall and winced in pain as he gave a death glare at the person who did that.  
  
Quatre looked to who walked out the room and he was even more surprised to actually see Heero here. Heero didn't pay attention to Quatre or anyone else who was around, his only target was Wufei and he wasn't going to let him go without making him pay for doing this to Relena.  
  
Heero raced towards Wufei and punched him across the face as he then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him hard into another wall. He went to punch him again but Wufei blocked the attack with his arm and kneed Heero in the stomach, causing Heero to stumble back as he wrapped an arm around the spot where he got hit. Heero glared at the Chinese man and went to punch him again but he noticed Wufei about to hit him as well. Ducking under Wufei's arm, Heero took a phase of action and punched Wufei under the chin as he stumbled back from the blow.  
  
Wufei however recovered from the attack rather quickly and raced forward as he kicked Heero into a wall and then grabbed him by the arm as he turned and flipped him over his head where Heero was thrown onto the ground. Wufei then started kicking Heero repeatedly in the ribs, causing him wince at the pain and as Heero turned his vision up to see what Wufei was about to do next, he saw Wufei bringing his leg up as he started bringing down his heel down to hit Heero in the chest.  
  
Before Wufei could hit him though, Heero quickly rolled away from him and got back into standing position. He then rushed towards Wufei and backed him into the wall and punched him in the gut repeatedly. Wufei spat out a bit of blood at that moment as he growled at Heero and head butted him away, sending Heero a few steps back. He charged at Heero again and brought them both to the ground as they started wrestling with each other while Quatre just stood there watching helplessly.  
  
Looking to Lucrezia, Quatre could see the concern and fright written all over her features as she watched Heero fight with Wufei. He could tell that she wanted this to stop but both of them knew that their voices alone wouldn't be able to stop what was happening. Even if they tried getting between the fight, it would only result in them getting hurt themselves so there was nothing they could do.  
  
Glancing over at Trowa however, Quatre was surprised to notice that this was hardly phasing him at all. Trowa just stood there leaning against the wall with his arms folded as though this was normal... Or if this was to be expected...  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
It made sense in a way though, he could see Heero's reasons for stopping Wufei since he was about to get really serious with Relena but was all that fighting really necessary?  
  
That fight continued to progress and Quatre was ashamed with him self for not being able to prevent it sooner. The fight resulted in Wufei and Heero getting seriously injured. It was as though they wanted to kill each other which was a scary thought. No matter how many times he tried breaking the two up, it resulted in him either being mouthed off at or pushed aside.  
  
He got punched away by Wufei once but it hardly affected him since he blocked the blow before it could make contact with his face. However, one thing was made obvious to Quatre as he watched Heero and Wufei fight that night and that was that they were fighting over something more than just Wufei being in bed with Relena. Not knowing what their problem was, Quatre had a distinct feeling Trowa knew about them...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
"Quatre..." Hearing someone call him, Quatre turned and saw Trowa approach him.  
  
Glancing over him for a moment, Trowa asked, "You alright?"  
  
Staring at him in question, he watched as Trowa pointed to his own face, referring to the punch Wufei did to Quatre just now.  
  
"Oh," Quatre said more to him self, "Yes I'm fine... But..." Turning his vision to watch Heero and Wufei now throwing each other over tables, shattered glass was now beginning to fly about the room as spectators had to move out of the way from the fight. Quatre was getting more concerned by the second since the fight was now down in the family room where all the other party guests were. The fact was that others were going to get caught between the fight and if that wasn't already a problem, the glass being shattered everywhere was going to cause even more problems as well.  
  
Trowa watched Heero and Wufei continue to thrash each other and as he looked over to some people who got caught near the fight, his eyes narrowed when he saw some people had actually gotten hurt as a result of the flying glass. As much as he wanted to just make Wufei and Heero seriously hurt each other over matters from the past, Trowa didn't want to see others getting hurt as a result of it.  
  
Looking over to Quatre he asked, "Can you help those people over there?"  
  
Quatre looked over at him in curiosity for a moment but slowly nodded asking, "Yes but what are you planning to do?"  
  
Trowa just shrugged as he walked towards Heero and Wufei and without a moments hesitation he punched Heero hard across the face as he went flying into the next room. Wufei turned to him at that moment but Wufei was grabbed by the shirt as Trowa kneed him in the stomach and pushed him in the same direction as where Heero was thrown. Once that was over with, Trowa just put his hands in his jean pockets and slowly walked into the room they were in.  
  
******End of Flashback******  
  
It was strange but once Trowa went into that room where he put Heero and Wufei, the fight had practically stopped. Quatre didn't know how he did it though since he had to treat the guests who got hurt because of the fight. It seemed odd though since he wasn't able to do anything, as much as he tried stopping Heero and Wufei it resulted to nothing. Trowa however was calm about the whole situation, as though he expected it and knew exactly what it was all about. Maybe Quatre was looking too far into this but it was a feeling he just couldn't ignore.  
  
'Get out of my way Quatre! I swear I will kill him for this!'  
  
'Wufei! I trusted you!'  
  
'You know how much I cared about her yet you treated her like shit! YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!'  
  
Quatre brought his hands over his face as Heero's words started flooding through his mind that second. Heero kept shouting these words at Wufei but it was making no sense to him. It had something to do about Heero's reasons for fighting him but he didn't know what it was about.  
  
Heero wasn't even at the party either, so it seemed strange that he was suddenly there in order to protect Relena from Wufei. He knew Heero was there because of what Lucrezia told him but. How did Lucrezia even know herself? She wasn't even there.  
  
"Yo, Quatre catch!!"  
  
Quatre jumped at the sound of that shout and felt bottles land over him as he whined in pain. Taking hold of one as he looked over the label, Quatre raised an eyebrow when he found the bottle being a bottle of bourbon.  
  
Sitting up on the bed, Quatre watched as Duo jumped on with a few more bottles cuddled close to his chest as he sat down with a big grin over his face. Quatre looked at all the alcohol around him in surprise and went into more shock when Alex and Mueller entered with some as well.  
  
"Umm... Wasn't all the alcohol gone from last night?" Quatre asked as everyone was now seated on the bed in a circle, with all the alcohol in the middle.  
  
"What!? Hell no," Duo replied as he dumped his bundle of alcohol in the pile, "I wasn't going to let it all go to waste to those morons last night. Hell, I didn't even know half of them that were there. Besides, I never got the chance to celebrate with all of us together since YOU were too busy worrying about everyone else having a good time."  
  
Quatre sighed at Duo's words and replied, "But you wouldn't believe how many people were acting so... Differently..."  
  
"Yeah but it's all out of fun!" Duo said as he smirked, "You didn't get to have a lot of fun last night, so let's have our own celebration right here."  
  
Quatre looked at Duo wide eyed for a moment, wondering if maybe he as perhaps joking. Of course it was stupid of him to think this though because the drinks were proof of Duo's words, not to mention both Alex and Mueller looked keen and ready to start "celebrating" as well.  
  
Eyeing the alcohol suspiciously, Quatre watched how everyone was behaving last night and with the way things turned out, it was enough to put Quatre off from drinking all together. He couldn't see what the big deal was since over drinking never resulted in the best of things happening and you didn't need to drink to have a good time.  
  
Looking up at Duo for a moment, Quatre worded through his head exactly how he may turn down his friend's offer down but as he went to open his mouth Duo had beaten him to it saying, "Hey guys, you know what would be even more exciting than drinking this down?" Digging into his pockets, Duo pulled some small objects out of his hand and revealed them to be a couple of dice cubes, "We can make this into a fun drinking game hehe."  
  
Alex and Mueller nodded and smirked at each other whereas Quatre sighed and wondered how he was going to get out of this now.  
  
********************************  
  
Quickly racing back into her room where Relena and Hilde were waiting, Mariemaia slammed her door closed and leaned against it as she laughed out loud to the other girls. Hilde raised an eyebrow at Mariemaia but once she saw the red head wink, Hilde couldn't help but laugh out loud as well. Relena on the other hand blinked a couple of times in question at the girl asking, "Oh my god, you didn't actually DO that dare did you?"  
  
Mariemaia gave an innocent smile at that moment and said, "What!? It was a DARE I had to do it." She burst out in more laughter at that moment as she slid down the door and looked down at her camera before saying, "I can't wait to see the look on Duo's face when he sees this photo. Splattering that egg over his head was so funny since he is so touchy about his hair. Hehe, he reminds me of a girl!" All three girls laughed at that moment and suddenly heard banging at the door.  
  
"Oi!! Mariemaia!! I am seriously going to get you back for this!! Mark my words, I WILL!!" Duo shouted as he turned to head for the bathroom but on his way he stumbled into the wall, causing him to mutter a few more curses to himself. Holding his right arm forward as he rubbed his egg yoked hair with his left; Duo walked on towards the bathroom and went to rinse out his hair.  
  
The girls laughed even harder over his outbursts and hardly took it seriously. Mariemaia knew that he and the other guys had been drinking so it was more interesting picking on them while they were in this state. Knowing that they wouldn't even be able to remember their names at the moment, how could they possibly remember these pranks later on in the morning?  
  
Peering down at her watch she noticed the time was close to three in the morning, no wonder she felt so tired, 'Oh well, might as well get my plan into action now.'  
  
Looking towards Relena, Mariemaia smirked and asked, "Ok Rellie, truth or dare?"  
  
Relena pondered over this for a moment and didn't feel very comfortable about choosing dare since Mariemaia would probably make her do something mean to the other guys while they were a little drunk so she nodded and answered, "I'll choose truth."  
  
She however regretted saying that now, since the look Mariemaia was giving her immediately gave her the impression that she was going to ask something very personal.  
  
"Now, since this is truth Rellie you better be sure to answer truthfully since both Hilde and I have been honest when we did truth. Ok, my question, do you love Quatre?" Hilde giggled at this question while Relena instantly went bright red in the face.  
  
Being honest, she didn't actually know what she felt for Quatre. When she first met him she found him to be quite the gentleman and was indeed very kind but with the issues she had been going through, she immediately assumed it to be all an act. She found him irritating at first as well since he wouldn't quit bugging her and always used that drawing power with his eyes to prevent her from lying to him.  
  
As time passed though, she couldn't help but like him for his friendly nature and for the way he would do anything to help those who had problems. He never judged people either, no matter what bad things had been said about her; Quatre never put her down by it and didn't want to believe the words of others without seeing if whether or not it was true first.  
  
He had so many good qualities that he couldn't be hate by anyone, if anyone did then it was over jealousy. While he had a big heart, he was also the sweetest person she had ever met, that and he was very intelligent. She was surprised that he wasn't skipped ahead a few years of his schooling since he was indeed very capable of handling that type of work. If his heart and mind weren't enough to express the greatness of who Quatre was, his face certainly did the trick since he had such a innocence around him that you couldn't help but smile if you ever gazed upon his face. His smile, his eyes, he was almost like the dream guy to every female out there.  
  
Mariemaia noticed Relena dosing off into wonderland and smirked as she leaned forward and clicked her fingers, causing Relena to jump as she looked to Mariemaia and Hilde again. Mariemaia and Hilde couldn't help but laugh at Relena's stunned face but they quickly recovered again since they wanted to hear her answer.  
  
Relena did not like the position she was put in, she was technically in a lose/lose situation. If she did say she liked him, not saying that she was certain of it but "if" she did, Mariemaia and Hilde wouldn't hesitate to jump to their feet and tell Quatre about it the moment she said it. Or if she happened to say she didn't, the other two girls would carry on about her lying and it wouldn't be fair on them if they confessed their deepest secrets while she kept all hers sealed. It was beside the point though; she didn't really know how she felt for him so she couldn't really answer.  
  
Well considering she really had no idea on her feelings yet, that would automatically put her in the "don't love" category for the time being, "Um... I'm still not really sure about this," Relena started, "But I can't say I like him in that way when I'm not exactly sure how I feel myself but then again I'm not saying it's wrong either so really... I don't know..."  
  
Waiting for the screams of disagreement from the two other girls, Relena braced herself for the unexpected but was instantly stunned when she heard nothing coming from either Hilde or Mariemaia about it. Staring blankly at the two girls for a moment, Hilde just had her normal calm face on while Mariemaia just had a suspicious grin on her face. This was not good, it was as though they had "expected" her to say this and already had some sort of backup plan ready to make her confess how she felt.  
  
"Is that so Rellie?" Mariemaia started as she folded her arms, "Having not being able to answer yes or no to my question for truth, this matter would have to automatically be changed to dare AND you cannot get out of it since you didn't answer to truth!"  
  
Continuing to have that evil grin over her face, Mariemaia got up from the ground and opened the door. Watching as Duo was about to head back to his room, Mariemaia called out, "Hey Duo! I have a favour to ask of you!" Before he had the chance to mouth off at her, she quickly walked over to him and started whispering her plan.  
  
As much as Duo was whacked from the amount of alcohol he had consumed, he was at least sober enough to understand what Mariemaia was saying to him and nodded his agreement with her plan as he slowly bounded back towards his room.  
  
Mariemaia quickly ran back to her bedroom and pulled Relena up to her feet as she dragged her out and down the hallway with Hilde following after them. Relena had no idea what was going on at the moment but once she saw Mariemaia stop by Quatre's and Duo's room, her eyes widened in realisation of what her dare might actually be.  
  
Duo came walking out with his pillow and sleeping bag as he yawned saying, "Ok, it's all free. Go on Lena, go knock yourself out and don't make too much noise since I want to sleep, if you knew what I'm referring to."  
  
Duo chuckled at his joke while Relena narrowed her eyes on him but she didn't have time to say anything back though since she felt herself being pushed into the room which Quatre was sleeping in. Relena was getting very nervous, all she wanted was to scream at them for this but she knew she couldn't since it would result in waking Quatre up. Even if she did though, Mariemaia and Hilde wouldn't careless about what she thought. They had their minds dead set on making Relena do this and nothing was going to make them change their minds on it.  
  
"Ok Rellie, my dare for you is to sleep with Quatre for the whole night, no buts or excuses since you failed to do the truth question. So sleep well and we hope to hear some interesting news later in the morning hehe."  
  
Mariemaia winked at Relena and giggled quietly along with Hilde who was standing behind her. Relena glared at the two girls as her face went bright red with embarrassment. Wanting to get out of the room, Relena took one step towards the door but Mariemaia quickly slammed it closed, resulting in the sound to echo around the walls. Relena jumped and turned to look at Quatre who was sleeping in the king sized bed and noticed he wasn't awaken from the sound, much to Relena's relief.  
  
This was hardly fair, not only was Relena stuck in the same room with Quatre, she didn't even get a chance to grab her sleeping bag so she could sleep on the floor. If things couldn't get any worse, it was actually quite chilly in the room so she couldn't get away with just sleeping on the carpet anyway, which meant she had no choice but to sleep in the same bed, as Quatre.  
  
Closing her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath she slowly walked up to the bed. Staring down at Quatre who was sleeping on the left side, she noticed that he was facing the vacant side of the bed so if she were to wake him up he would see her instantly.  
  
Carefully sitting down on the bed as she continued watching Quatre's sleeping form she slipped her right leg onto the bed and slowly lifted her other one. For a moment she sat perfectly still as to not make any sudden movements. Her plan was to not wake Quatre up and hope to wake up early so she could get out without being spotted.  
  
If she was smart she should just head out the room right now but...  
  
"Hang on... Why don't I just leave?"  
  
Slipping her legs off the bed again, Relena got her self up and quickly headed to the door. She couldn't believe she didn't think of this sooner and to think she was about to follow Mariemaia's dare too, it almost seemed as though she "wanted" to do it. Reaching out for the door knob, she went to turn it but she was shocked to find it locked in place. Not wanting to give up she continued to struggle with the knob but it wouldn't budge.  
  
'Mariemaia, did you happen to lock the door when you pushed me in here...?'  
  
Banging her fist on the door she yelled, "I am so going to get you for this Mariemaia!!!" Stomping back to the bed as she sat herself back down she folded her arms and cursed that fact that she was in here; it had to be planned from the start. In the morning she would have her revenge, but of course she needed to think of a plan first.  
  
Lying herself down as she stared at the ceiling, Relena sighed to herself and went to fold her arms under her head but as she did this she jumped when her elbow collided into something.  
  
Shifting towards the edge of the bed in surprise, her eyes widened when she found her elbow had actually hit Quatre across the head since he was now wake and rubbing it.  
  
Turning his vision to Relena who was staring at him in shock, he raised an eyebrow in question and sat up to look at her more clearly. Was he dreaming or was Relena actually in the same bed as him? Rubbing his eyes to get a clearer picture of her, he indeed found it to be Relena and this was definitely not a dream.  
  
"M-Miss Relena!? How did...? What are...? Why are you...? Where is Duo?"  
  
Relena blinked at him in confusion, she thought he would have been more curious about the fact she was actually in here with him more than where Duo may have disappeared off to but wanting to answer his question she answered, "Duo left the room to probably sleep in the room Mueller and Alex are sharing."  
  
It as more of a guess but she couldn't see Mariemaia and Hilde allowing him to be in their room since he could never keep his hands to himself when he was in the close company of females. Watching his reaction to that, Relena followed her gaze down his neck and blushed when she found he was completely topless. The window behind him was shining some moonlight into the room so it wasn't completely dark. Although she hoped it was dark enough to hide her red coloured face.  
  
Staring at Relena for a moment, Quatre leaned closer to her and replied, "Miss Relena, may I ask why you are in here?"  
  
Noticing he had leaned in a little closer to her, Relena blushed a little at the sudden closeness of his face to hers but decided to brush it off since it was probably nothing and answered, "Um.. Well you see, Mariemaia, Hilde and I were playing a game and err the game kind of lead to me being in here so..."  
  
Processing what she just said through her own mind, Relena mentally kicked herself in wondering just what type of explanation was that? Why didn't she just say they were playing truth/dare and her dare was to sleep in the same room as him for the night!?  
  
Wanting to give her explanation another go she opened her mouth to start speaking again but found her voice caught dead in her throat as she felt Quatre's hand caress her left cheek. Feeling her face redden even more from the contact of Quatre's hand, she looked at him and found him actually smiling at her. What was he thinking!? Wasn't he supposed to mouth off at her for not asking permission to even be in here? Or make her sleep on the floor since he was the one occupying the bed?  
  
"I couldn't do that," Quatre suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "I wouldn't make you sleep on the floor. If anything I should be the one sleeping on the floor."  
  
Relena raised an eyebrow at him at that moment and wondered if she had scrambled that mind of his when she elbowed him. This was his room, why was he speaking nonsense in saying that "he" should be the one on the floor while she was the one who just waltzed in uninvited to claim his bed for her own? And was it just her or did Quatre read her mind just now? Relena could have sworn that she didn't speak those thoughts out loud so he must have.  
  
She didn't get a chance to think more on this though since her attention was now focused on Quatre's hand brushing some honey blonde strands behind her ear. His touch felt so heavenly as though it was the gentle breeze weaving through her long, silky hair besides his fingers.  
  
Quatre watched as Relena's eyes closed at that moment and wondered just what was he doing? Instead of seeing her close her eyes he was expecting Relena to slap him or something. He had no idea why he even reached out for her in the first place. It seemed as though he wasn't thinking through his actions, it just happened out of impulse although he couldn't deny he was actually enjoying it. He always did admire Relena's beautiful, shiny hair from afar and now he had the pleasure of stroking it.  
  
If he hadn't been drinking, he would have prevented himself from touching her like this but with the alcohol stirring though his thoughts he could feel his heart taking advantage of the current situation. It wasn't everyday that you have the girl who claimed your heart to be sleeping right beside you, especially when you were too shy to admit it. Yes he had been denying it for a long time now but the more he tried fighting these emotions, the stronger they seemed to keep becoming before it was just too much to fight any longer.  
  
With the moonlight shining through the windows behind him, he was able to gaze upon Relena's beautiful face while her hair seemed to glisten against the light with every movement he made with it while he stroked it. He could feel it, he could feel his heart aching as though it was begging for him to put it to ease and the only way to do that was to claim Relena as his own. Quatre knew this was a very dangerous position for him self to be in since there was no body around but them. Being in one room, in one bed together with her was definitely not helping him restrain his emotions but it was too late for logic at this point of time. He wanted her and he wanted her now...  
  
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Author's Note: Hi there everyone I. Uh-oh. *dodges the tomatoes which are being thrown at her* Yeah I know I know hehe, I stopped it just where it was getting good right? ^^; To be honest I was going to continue with it but the chapter was already dragging on long enough so I had to stop SO SORRY -_-  
  
I also need to apologise for not updating sooner. I did need to put this on hold though since I needed to concentrate on my exams but once they were over, I had been so busy with Christmas and everything that I kinda... *coughs* Don't get me wrong though hehe, I had been thinking about this chapter for ages and no matter how many attempts I tried making at it, I just couldn't get it right. So I would take about a week to get over my disappointment and try having another go but yeah. So repeated the stop and start game   
  
Forgive me, I hope you haven't given up on me just yet ^.^ Not to mention I hope no one has forgotten about this fic hehe. If so then I won't see any point about updating ever again you hear!!?? LOL, just kidding ^_~ But yes, reviews are a most definite need right now since I need to know if anyone is still reading this.  
  
So please... *gets down on her knees as she looks to her readers with an innocent puppy dog face* PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! ^_________^  
  
Email: neon_fantasy@hotmail.com 


	15. Author's Note

Hey everyone, sorry about the massive delay with my fanfic. I know it has been a while since I last updated but please bare with me .. I have been in a massive writer's block until now which is why it has been a while since I've updated. Not to mention I've been busy with some other things but that's just an excuse really hehe :P I am currently working on Chapter 14 although I'm getting a bit stuck with what to write. But I am making it a goal to at least work on it for an hour or so everyday just so something get's done. I'm over half way so it shouldn't be too long before it's done. I know many things in this fic that also need some explaining so don't worry, I can remember most of them lol. Yes most of them, there are a few things I have forgotten but with some revision I'm sure I'll get it.

If you have some suggestions, ideas or even requests on what you want explained please don't hesitate to contact me.

So yeah, once again I apologise for not updating sooner and I will do what I can to get this chapter out ASAP. Hope you will all be around to read it when it is done lol. Until then, bye bye!


	16. Chapter 14

**Don't Push Me Away **

**by Neon Fantasy**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4R story.

**Chapter 14**

**" ---** **" - Speaking**

**' --- ' - Thinking**

"LOOK OUT BELOW!!!" Duo called while huddling into a ball. He crashed into the pool water with a big splash resulting in water going everywhere, even on those who weren't even in the pool. Mariemaia and Hilde were getting a suntan beside the pool, but when water got dumped on them all hell broke loose. Hilde removed her sunglasses and growled at Duo for what he did. Duo just laughed and rubbed the back of his head but before he could say anything, Hilde dived into the pool and started swimming towards him. He knew he was in trouble now and started swimming as far away as he could from her. He reached the ladder and was about to climb out but Hilde grabbed him by the braide and pulled him back.

"You will be sorry now!!" Hilde threatened as she started to dunk him repeatedly in the water. Mariemaia simply remained where she was while drying herself down with a towel. She watched the two in the pool and couldn't help but smile. They acted like a married couple from time to time, it was a surprise that they weren't a couple. But she wondered at times why they never considered it, they got along so well and have known each other for years. Or would that be the reason why? Perhaps their friendship was too precious to have gambled on in a relationship? She remembered asking Hilde about this a few times but she always dodged the question so she never found out. It wasn't really her business anyway but when watching them like this, it made her wonder why they never took it a step further.

"AHHH okay okay I give up!!" Duo yelled as he held his arms up, "I'm sorry I'm sorry, please forgive me oh great goddess."

"Oh shut up Duo!" Hilde said as she shoved his head back under the water again, "Geez you are always such a moron!" Duo swam down to the bottom of the pool and swam towards the ladder. Once he reached the surface he simply laughed a little before getting out. He had fun teasing Hilde all the time since she always had a short fuse, but he never tried crossing the line to where she would hate him. It was good like that, how they could muckaround and never take it seriously. Of course Hilde got annoyed at it from time to time but she never took it to heart which was good. It was nice having her so understanding like that. It helped when he needed to get his mind off of things as well. 'Well, time to get some breakfast I think,' Duo thought to himself as he waved to Hilde before heading to the house.

Hilde watched him go for a moment and went into deep thought. Was it just her or did it seem as though something was wrong with Duo? When they would fight like that he would usually put more enthusiasm into it or try getting her angrier than she already would be. Today he didn't do either of those things so something had to be troubling him. Mariemaia walked up to the edge of the pool to see what was wrong with Hilde. Seeing her just staring into space like that had her worried. Although she did look to be staring in the direction of where Duo walked off to. 'Hmmm... I wonder...'

"Duo seems to be getting a bit of a build on himself now huh?" Mariemaia said out of the blue, "More so than he was last year anyway."

Hilde nodded at that, "Yeah true, he's getting cuter by the year hehe.." After a few moments of saying that, Hilde only then realsed what she said and looked straight to Mariemaia. Seeing the red head grinning widely at her she quickly shook her head and said, "MARIE!! I didn't mean it like that!! He seriously is getting cuter but it doesn't mean I like him or anything!!"

Mariemaia simply rolled her eyes and mentioned, "Well, I wasn't as observant as you to notice he was getting more attractive." Noticing Hilde's red face with her glaring eyes, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It made her wonder if she really did like Duo, even though she appeared to like Trowa. She made it obvious that she had a thing for Trowa, with the way she would try getting his attention at ice hockey games and practices. But with Duo she seemed to just watch him from a distance, kind of hiding the fact that she really cared for him. Of course Mariemaia could be completely wrong about this but with that red face of Hilde's, she was beginning to wonder if she was right.

"I've known Duo for years. He's like a brother to me Marie so it's expected of me to be observant of these things." With that said, Hilde dived into the water before anything else could be questioned. Mariemaia simply shrugged and went back to her chair to sunbake. Hilde couldn't fool her, unlike Relena she wasn't the naive type who couldn't see what was right infront of her. Something was going on with Hilde and she wasn't about to let it slip. Still, she had no idea about Duo since he seemed to have a thing for someone else. She couldn't actually deside if whether or not it was disturbing or just plain weird. Then again love works in mysterious ways.

While drying himself with a towel, Duo walked towards the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He hadn't had breakfast yet and it was getting close to lunch time so he figured now would be a good time to have both. Brunch annoyed him since that consisted of only one meal. Why combine meals of the day together like that? After all you wouldn't be taking in the normal intake of food which you should be receiving. But this could just be him being majorly obsessed with food but hey, who's complaining right? As Duo neared the kitchen, he started to smell food being cooked. This was making him hungrier by the second, he could almost feel his mouth watering since it smelt so good.

Once he entered the kitchen, Duo felt as though he was in heaven. He allowed himself to slowly drift towards the food and took a deep breath. He found lots of food being made, looked as though lunch and breakfast was being made at the same time. Lucky for him, more food to consume. As Duo went to pick up some bacon, he quickly pulled away when he felt a wooden spoon slap his hand. Shaking it a little while rubbing it with his other hand, Duo looked and noticed it was Relena, "Ah ah, wait till it's done Duo."

"Awww," Duo whined while putting on his most innocent face, "But I'm hungry Rellie, can I have just a little piece?"

"No, it's not fair on everyone else." Relena answered while flipping some pancakes.

Duo sighed with disappointment but decided to obay since it looked as though she was putting a lot of effort into this. He knew that a fair bit of food had to be made to feed all of them but with the amount Relena was making it looked as though she was feeding a whole neighbourhood. "Duo, if you are going to stand there you might as well help out." With those words, Duo quickly backed away while rubbing the back of his head, "Oh come on Rel, you are doing such a good job on your own. You don't need me to come along and mess it all up hehe." Relena merely raised an eyebrow at him but simply smiled and went back to cooking. Duo smiled back and started watching her for a bit. She seemed to be getting better by the looks of things, a little more cheerful and energetic than she used to be.

With the way things were going he thought she would never change, but remain as the silent yet gloomy girl she made herself to be. But now she was actually making an effort to be happy. She talked a lot more with them. Not to mention they wouldn't have to force her to be part of them, she was more than willing to now. Like a true friend should. It was times like this that he regreted hating her like he did back then because really, she was a very nice girl. When Quatre would tell him that he would remember laughing in his face about it but now after getting to know her properly, he could see it very clearly. In ways he was seeing her as a different person. He wasn't used to seeing Relena like this. Not in a bad way of course but still, this was a nice change and one which Duo wouldn't mind getting used to. Maybe now he could joke around without her taking it offensively.

"Hey Duo, try some of this," Relena said as she held out a spoon full of soup. Without a moments hesitation, Duo opened his mouth widely and allowed Relena to put the spoon in his mouth. Taking it's contents and savouring the taste before swallowing, Duo thought about it for a moment while Relena waited to hear what he thought. "Hmm, might need to taste some more before I could make a proper comment."

"Oh really?" Relena said unconvinced, "Or maybe you just want to have some more."

"Aw you know me, just want to help you out."

"Yeah I know you, all the more reason why I'm not giving you any more." With that said, Relena went back to cooking with Duo just staring at her wide eyed. He can't believe it, did she just pay him out? Him!? When it was his goal to have some fun first!? And to think he was only going to joke with her, being payed out like this was not cool. Well, two can play at that game, "Heh, if you knew me that well then you should have known better than to give me any in the first place."

"Perhaps, but now you just have the urge to want more don't you?" Duo remained silent at that. "Hmm, thought so hehe." Now that was just cruel, what did he ever do to her? What was worse was that she was getting the upper hand over him when really that was usually HIS position. So unfair, he almost felt like weeping since it hurt so much. Then again he was more impressed than hurt. She was the last person he would expect to beat at his own game. More surprises just seem to keep appearing with her, and he was liking it as well. It gave him a chance to learn more about her since in the beginning she was like an enigma. She still is to some extent but at least things are coming out to the open slowly so that's all that matters.

But he was still hungry, after tasting Relena's food he had an urge for more. While she had her back to him, Duo took that moment to grab the spoon she previously fed him with and went to raid the pot of more soup. Relena was putting some pancakes onto a plate at this time, so when she turned back to the stove to make some more she was shocked to see Duo eating from her cooking. "Hey Duo! I said wait!" With that, Relena quickly went up to him and went to grab the spoon but Duo moved it out of the way before she could do so.

"Too slow Rellie, would have to do better than that hehe." Relena tried reaching it again but Duo once again dodged her approach and held the spoon up high so she couldn't reach. He was fully taking advantage of his height here but it was funny seeing Relena trying to get the spoon. There was no way Relena would be able to reach the spoon like this, so to help her, she pulled on his arm and lowered it enough for her to grab the spoon. This surprised Duo but he wasn't about to let go. Relena started using both her hands then. She was determined to get that spoon from him so he wouldn't think about touching her food again without her noticing.

Duo could feel his grip weakening against the force of both Relena's hands so he tried pulling it away from her. It didn't seem to work since she had a good hold of the handle, but he wasn't about to give up that easily. He began moving back a little so that he could have more space but as he was doing so he was pulling Relena along with him. It wasn't long until Relena tripped on one of Duo's feet, causing her to fall on top of him. They were both sent to the ground with Duo whincing a little at Relena's unexpected weight, she wasn't heavy or anything but he wasn't ready for it. Relena was shocked in a different way, she couldn't believe this just happened. Not to mention Duo was wearing nothing but the shorts he was wearing in the pool. So she couldn't help but blush a little at this.

Duo didn't know how to react either. She was just staring at him blankly so all he could do was stare back. What was he supposed to say or do in a situation like this? Well, any normal person would actually get up but he couldn't without Relena moving first. Still, he seemed to have lost his ability to speak as well. He wanted to ask if she was alright or if she could get off or if anything was wrong. But instead nothing. Duo had to admit she had very beautiful eyes, he had never noticed them as much as he currently did. Probably because he was never this close to observe. Now thinking about it, she was quite a beautiful girl as well. Why is it that he had never noticed these things until now? Why was his heat rate starting to increase along with his body temperature...? 'Oh god... Duo... GET HER OFF YOU!!' His mind screamed while at the same time nothing seemed to happen, he was simply frozen under Relena's presence.

Quatre walked into the kitchen then, yawning a little with how sleepy he still felt. Duo and Relena noticed him and quickly got off the ground while backing away from each other. Duo was slightly blushing, feeling somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable with Quatre walking in on them like that, "I-It's not what you think Quatre! I mean, it just happened. Not saying it was on purpose! We were just mucking around... Not in that way either! And err, yeah and um..." After processing what he just said, Duo started wondering why he was stuttering like that. He never usually stutters. Quatre on the other hand was just staring at Duo sleepily, he heard Duo talk but he had no idea what he said. Duo was thinking he was perhaps angry or something and quickly clapped his hands together, "It was accidental Quatre I swear! It's not like I... I..." Why couldn't he finish that sentence? He was suppose to say that he didn't like Relena in that way but, why weren't the words coming out?

"Duo...?" Relena asked as she went to approach him, "Are you alr-" Before she could finish she watched Duo suddenly make his way out the kitchen quickly, not having any idea why he was in such a hurry. Was he upset or something? Did she perhaps hurt him when she fell on top of him like that? And why was his face red? Quatre came back to reality then, having himself snap out of his sleepy daze. He looked to Relena and smiled sweetly at her, "Morning Miss Relena, did you sleep well?" Relena smiled slightly and nodded in response, although her face seemed to be getting redder in the process. Quickly turning her back on him she faced her cooking and said, "U-Um... Are you... Hungry at all?"

"Yes I am a little thanks." Relena simply nodded and went back to cooking. Quatre was stunned, he never knew Relena could cook and by the smell of things, she seemed like a very experienced cook too. While walking up beside her, Quatre took the time to look over the different meals she was preparing. They all looked very good, and he could feel himself getting hungrier just by the look of it. "Wow Miss Relena, this looks great. I can't wait to try some." Relena blushed more under Quatre's compliment while stirring at some sauce she was boiling. Although unknown to her she was stirring it a little too fast and was causing it to almost fly out the pot. Quatre noticed this and quickly went behind her to rest his hands over hers, "Don't stir too fast Miss Relena, you might spill it." With that he started motioning her right hand to stir a little slower while helping her hold the pot with the left. Relena didn't know how to react, just feeling his warm hands over hers made her heart race. She almost felt bout ready to faint for some odd reason, Quatre always had this affect on her yet she had no idea why. Even last night was another one of those situations where she had no idea what was happening.

_Flashback_

Relena slowly opened her eyes for a moment, just barely so she could see what Quatre was doing. Was she in a way expecting something from him? The way he was staring at her with those soft, gentle eyes and the way he slowly stroked his fingers through her hair was giving her signals as to what he wanted. But what about her? Of course Relena couldn't deny she was enjoying this, he was being so gentle so why wouldn't she? Although Relena knew she was in a dangerous position, so what should she do?

She froze instantly when Quatre's hand brushed against her cheek, his fingers gliding over her soft creamy skin and eventually resting his palm there as well. His hands were so warm, yet very comforting at the same time. Being here with Quatre like this, was it a good thing? She was still confused about so many other things to even consider what might be happening between herself and Quatre.

However, Relena still remained a little uneasy, wondering if now was the best time to speak up. Quatre was a nice guy, a great guy. One who she felt she could trust more than anyone. He was caring, understanding, generous, honest, and so many other things which even she couldn't express in words. But what did he feel for her? Was he merely too drunk to even see who sat beside him here? Was he merely doing this because she looked similar to Sylvia?

Quatre started leanning towards her now, although he was doing it very slowly so if Relena wanted to back off then she had the chance to. All Relena was thinking though was how tempting Quatre's lips looked and knowing she might have the chance taste them for herself. She couldn't be bothered thinking anymore, in a way she needed Quatre. It was with him that she felt any kind of happiness at all and she owed him so much. So this could be a way to show her appreciation.

He was very close now, and Relena could feel her cheeks burning in the process. Her body temperature was rising, and rising fast, while at the same time her heart was beating rapidly. There as no turning back now, not that she even had the will to turn away anymore. So she took this chance to close her eyes, which she did, and started waiting for the moment where Quatre's lips would gently carress against hers... Which didn't happen.

Instead, when she felt him about ready to kiss her, she gave a little yelp when she slipped off the bed and landed back first into the carpet. She must have been inching away from him as he drew closer without realising it, which was probably the reason how she fell of the bed in the first place. Still, if there ever was a moment between then and now that she wanted to just die, it would have to be now.

Quatre on the other hand blinked a few times, wondering what it was that just happened. Or then again, what was going to happen. With logic now set to mind once more, he looked over the side of the bed and noticed Relena on the ground. He reached his hand out to her and asked, "Miss Relena, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

If anything, Relena was expecting Quatre to laugh at her for this clumsy display. She felt like such a clutz and deserved to be laughed at because of it. Still, without saying a word she brought her hand up to Quatre's and felt his hand gently clasp hers. He slowly helped her off the ground and went to help her back onto the bed until Relena's foot got caught in some of the blankets and resulted in her falling forward into Quatre's body.

Quatre blushed a little at this since it totally caught him off guard but he wasn't the only one blushing either. Relena slowly raised her head away from Quatre's chest but now found his face about an inch or so away from hers. She went totally still, waiting for a second to see if whether or not Quatre will touch her like he did a few moments ago. Instead he merely said, good night and slowly got back under his covers to get some sleep, facing his back to her in the process while Relena sat there for a moment, being more confused than sleepy.

_End of Flashback_

She didn't get much sleep last night, it felt so weird sleeping in the same bed with a guy who wasn't even your boyfriend. Not saying that she wanted Quatre to be her boyfriend but it was just an experience she wasn't very comfortable with. But she wasn't trying to say that his company wasn't welcome, hell she would love to sleep with Quatre more since he was such a nice and attractive looking guy but... 'Okay.... That thought didn't come out right...' Mental images of Quatre started coming to mind then, him cuddling up to her in bed while feeling his soft yet smooth bare skin rub against her own.

Relena's breath was taken away by the things she was imagining. She wanted to try and get these images out of her head but Quatre was just too irresistable for her to brush off. While she remained in wonderland, Quatre started wondering why Relena wasn't stirring anymore. She seemed to freeze under his hold and this has been going on for a few minutes now. Being concerned with this, Quatre turned the stove off so nothing would burn and turned Relena around to face him. The minute he faced her, Quatre noticed her face slightly pink while she seemed to be staring into space. Her eyes looked so full of emotion, the aquamarine colour just seemed to glow like jewels. He didn't know what else to do but stare. He had never seen Relena like this before, it's as though she had suddenly transformed or bloomed like a flower would when it would sprout from a bud.

"Quatre..." Relena sighed quietly, causing Quatre to look at her in question. "Yes? What is it?" He asked, waiting for her to reply. Although nothing happened, she still had that dazed look in her eyes. He was beginning to wonder if she actually did want to ask him something. 'With that look... Did she...?' He began blushing a little then, was she daydreaming? About him? He shouldn't keep his hopes up like that but there was a possibility right? He watched her eyes slowly close then, causing Quatre's throat to dry up all of a sudden. He wasn't sure why she was doing that but he felt almost tempted to ask. That was until he noticed her head slowly moving towards his. What was she doing? She wasn't really going to kiss him... Was she? This almost seemed too good to be true. Quatre was beginning to wonder if whether or not he was awake himself.

Although he had a feeling Relena didn't know what she was doing right now. Should he try snapping her back to reality so he could see if whether or not she wanted this? As much as he wanted it, he didn't want to make it seem he was taking advantage of her. That was the last thing he would want. So, why wasn't he speaking up when he should? Part of him wanted to say something but most of him wanted this. God he hated it when his emotions always got the better of him. Still, it wouldn't hurt. She did make the first move after all. Not saying he will blame this on her if she complained but still, how could he refuse?

Being caught up in the moment, Quatre slowly started lowering his head towards Relena's as well. He brought his hands up to her arms and held them gently while moving closer and closer to her. Being in the kitchen like this with her cooking, it almost seemed like they were in their own home. As though they were together and this was how life was, with no problems. That would be nice, too bad it was just a fantasy but it was nice to dream every now and then. The moment between them now was all that mattered and hopefully no one will come and-

"AHHHH WOOOOOW!!!!" Mariemaia shrieked with excitement as she ran up to the stove, hardly noticing Quatre and Relena. Relena's eyes flashed open, totally lots and confused with what was happening around her. Quatre only the other hand simply sighed and lowered his hands from Relena, he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Why is it that everytime he was about to kiss her, someone always happens to come and spoil the mood? He almost wanted to just kidnap Relena and take her to a deserted island where NO ONE could bother them and that way, they would get their privacy. That is if she wouldn't mind but at moments like this, he would like to do it either way.

"Rellie!! You are amazing!! This looks great!! You gotta teach me how to cook food like this!!" Mariemaia said as she smiled and turned to Relena. Relena simply smiled back and walked up beside her while telling her about each seperate dish. Quatre stood there in complete silence, he was still frustrated in some ways about them being interupted like that so he took this moment to leave. A shower would be a nice idea, that way it will cool him off a bit. He wasn't one to get annoyed so easily but this time he couldn't help it. These feelings for Relena, what was he going to do with them? In ways he didn't want to say anything to her since she had too much going on with her life as it is. She didn't need him making matters worse. But what should he do? He can't seem to hide them no matter how hard he tries. Everytime he is in the presence of Relena he would fall under some sort of spell and find his world revolving around her like she was a goddess.

While pacing around the room, Duo tried thinking through the matters of the kitchen incident with Relena. Everytime he tried thinking up some sort of reason or excuse for what happened, he would find himself at a loss. "Okay calm down Duo, deep breath. You have been attracted to many girls before and Relena is no different so relax. You will be over it within a day." As much as he tried telling himself this, the words would seem to go out one ear and out the other. There was other moments with her which got him feeling fuzzy inside as well. Teaching her how to ice skate, going shopping with her, even when they got the chance to talk he felt as though they had a close bond. Even if they grew up differently they were the same in so many ways, it was hard to believe. But now he didn't know what to do, he thinks of her a close friend but was it perhaps developing into something more? 'God this is giving me a headache.'

The door bell rang at that moment, causing Duo to snap out of his thoughts. Duo had no idea who it could be, unless if it was some relative of Marie's but she didn't mention anyone being over besides her birthday. When he reached the door, Duo unlocked it and turned the knob in order to answer it and to his surprise, he found it being Trowa. "Well hey, this is a surprise hehe. Came to see Marie?" Trowa merely nodded and watched Duo open the door wider for him to enter. When Trowa walked inside, Duo looked to his right arm and found him holding some sort of parcel. Trowa noticed him staring at it so he decided to explain, "Late birthday present."

"Oh right hehe. No worries then. Marie was outside the last time I noticed but if she's not there then she's somewhere around the house." Duo let out a few chuckles then while Trowa just stood there watching him. Duo stopped after a few moments when he noticed Trowa wasn't finding any of this funny but when he noticed him staring Duo raised and eyebrow and asked, "What's your problem?"

"That should be my line," Trowa answered, causing Duo's eyes to widden with surprise. Trowa hadn't even been here for five minutes and he could already tell something was wrong with him. God it was bad enough that Quatre had that type of ability but he didn't think Trowa did as well. But even if there was something wrong, there was no way he was going to tell anything to him. Sure he knew Trowa wasn't a bad guy since he was very close to Marie but he was still one of the guys who Heero and Wufei were close with. Trowa could tell he was getting negative vibes from Duo by the way he stared at him so he figured he better stop there. Duo's problems were none of his business so with that, Trowa started walking down the hallway to find Mariemaia. Duo on the other hand just stood there, thinking back at this dilemma with Relena again.

"There we go, it's all done." Relena said with relief with Mariemaia jumping up and down beside her, "YES! We rock Relena!" When Mariemaia had walked in on Relena cooking, she decided to help the girl out so that she could learn more about cooking. Her grandma was always the one who cooked for her family so Mariemaia never got to learn. When ever she would ask to help her grandma would just wave her off and say she was fine. Her grandpa would merely tell her that it's because her grandma didn't want her straining herself, just focus on your studies while we focus on you. They were such generous people, Mariemaia always loved being in their company but she always felt guilty when she couldn't do anything for them. Still, they probably had their reasons and she could probably guess what they were but it didn't matter.

"Well, let's set the table and get everyone here!" Mariemaia announced as she got out a large pile of plates from the cupboard, "Rellie, why don't you go tell everyone brunchfast is ready!?" Relena watched Mariemaia slightly struggle with the amount of plates she was carrying and said, "Why don't I help you set up first? It will be easier that way."

"Nonsense Rel. You had already cooked all this food for us, the least I could do is help set the table."

"But-"

"Please just let me do it." Mariemaia said in a serious tone, taking Relena a little off guard. "Sorry Relena, I just... I just want to help okay? That's not such a bad thing is it?" Mariemaia felt a little upset with snapping at Relena like that but she couldn't help it. It just seemed to come out without thinking. Relena noticed Mariemaia looked a little troubled and figured the best thing she could do is let her have her way. She didn't want to make it seem like she didn't appreciate her help, she just didn't like asking people to do things which she could easily do herself. Still, Relena smiled and said, "Alright, I'll go get everyone. I'm counting on you Marie!"

Mariemaia was relieved that Relena didn't take her outburst to heart and smiled back while walking over to the dinning room. It felt nice actually doing something for someone else this way. Since all of them were going to eat it was always more rewarding knowing you put something into what you were eating instead of making it seem like you were intruding. That's how she felt with her grand parents at times. She felt like she was taking advantage of them since they never got her doing anything. When eating she felt like she was stealing from them and even when she would sleep in their house she felt like she was some street kid who came creeping in to have a place to rest. Hilde and everyone else thought her place was great. Good that she could just focus on her own life while at the same time receiving a lot of support and love from family as well. But how could you consider yourself part of family if you never give or do anything in return for what you receive?

Relena started scouting the house for all her friends, wondering where all of them had disappeared off to but when she walked around a corner to enter the hallway she felt herself bump into someone. Quickly backing away from them she went to apologise but noticed it being Trowa. 'When did he get here?' She thought while staring at him for a moment. Trowa merely stared back at her, wondering why she looked so shock at seeing him. Relena quickly snapped out of her thoughts and bowed her head a little, "Hello Trowa, sorry for bumping into you like that. I really do need to watch where I am going don't I?" Relena raised her head and laughed a little then, feeling a little clutzy right now. Trowa on the other hand remained completely silent. Nothing but his mouth parting a little was all he could show for Relena's actions.

Relena stopped and looked at Trowa blankly for a moment, wondering if something was wrong. He looked somewhat surprised about something but she wasn't sure what. Trowa walked closer to her then, causing Relena's heart to race in the process. He raised his hand and rested it by Relena's cheek, feeling it's warm and softness before whispering, "It's been a while since I've seen you laugh like that. I'm happy for you." Relena's cheek went red then while Trowa gave a slight smile. He removed his hand slowly as he then looked around to see where they were. "Do you know where Mariemaia is?" He asked when looking back at her. Relena almost lost her ability to speak just now. For some odd reason Trowa seemed to have taken her breath away yet he hardly did anything besides touch her. Touch her in such a tender, loving way...

"O-OH!" Relena suddenly gasped, realising he had asked her a question, "S-She is um.., She's... She is..." Relena in the end decided to point while Trowa just looked in that direction and found it being the kitchen. He nodded his thanks and started walking in that direction, leaving Relena to breath in Trowa's scent as he walked off. She loved the cologne men wore, especially his. Infact Quatre, Heero, Wufei and Duo all had good taste in cologne as well. While most guys would all smell the same they all had their own distinct fragrances which seperated them from others. Not that Relena had a habit of smelling every guy she met but she always favored their scent.

'Well, better get back to finding everyone now.' As Relena walked down the hallway she found herself at the living room where Duo seemed to be. She smiled and started walking up to him. He of all people will be happy to hear that they could eat now since he seemed to be desperate to before. When walking up closer to him, she noticed he seemed to be in deep thought and didn't seem to have noticed her yet. To get his attention, Relena walked up behind him and brought her hands up over his eyes, "Guess who?" Relena said, trying to mimic Hilde's voice. Duo merely smiled, knowing that it was Relena but decided to play along. "Hmmm... Is it... Mariemaia?"

"No it's not," Relena said in her normal tone.

"How about... Our lovely principal Ms. Une?" Relena couldn't help but laugh at that since Duo thought nothing but negative things about her. "Okay okay, Marie's grandma. I'm sure of it."

"My god do I really sound that old to you?"

"Ah that angelic voice... I have a feeling I know it from somewhere..." Duo brought his hands up over Relena's then and began removing them from his eyes. "... Actually... Who could forget such a beautiful voice... Huh Relena?"

Relena blinked at that and merely shook her head, "Hardly hehe, my voice is terrible."

"No, it's beautiful and very harmonic especially when you sing."

"R-Really? I... I didn't think so..." Then it hit her, "Hang on, you've heard me sing?"

Duo nodded as he turned to face her, "Of course, remember when you were in a school band with Marie, Mueller and Alex? I was still friends with them at that time so naturally I went to watch them play while I got to hear you sing."

"Yes but... I would have thought that back then, you would have hated the sight of me."

"Maybe, but that was over the past. I still couldn't hide the fact that it was nice listening to you... And seeing you..." Relena blushed at little at that, not really understanding what Duo meant but it was nice all the same. Duo blushed a little as well, wondering why he was even saying all this stuff. It was all true but she didn't need to hear it. He didn't even notice that he was still holding her hands as well. Relena did but she didn't know what to say, in ways she was taken by surprise with Duo's kind words. She had never heard him compliment her like that before so she didn't know how to act.

"I... I never knew you thought that..." Relena said in a soft voice while Duo continued watching her, "In ways... I don't know how to take it since... I'm so used to you... You know... Hating me..." Duo felt as though someone punched him right in the gut then. The memories of him hating her came to mind again, those times when he judged her because of her parents. It wasn't fair on her, nor was it right. Now, he wished he could take it all back but since he couldn't, all he could do was atone. He brought his hands up to Relena's cheeks then, having her face him so he could look within her eyes. "Relena, I would do anything to change the bad past between us. I can't make up for all the things I said and did to you back then, but let me say now that I will do everything I can to make up for it and more. You didn't deserve it and I will always feel guilty about it. But, it depends if whether or not you will forgive me. You accepted my apology before but I'm not sure if you really have forgiven me yet."

Relena went into deep thought over that. It was true that at the time, when he came over her house that day because of English, he apologised for everything that had happened once they talked but, how did she react? All she did was listen and accept what Duo had to say. She never said anything back mainly because it took her by surprise but also, she had no idea what to feel. It was nice being forgiven, to be able to forget everything and start anew. So really, Duo deserved it as well. He had done so much for her ever since they became friends so this was the least she could do for him.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Relena nodded and said, "I have forgiven you... If anything there was nothing to forgive. I was the one in the wrong anyway so you had every right to hate me s-" Relena's eyes widdened when she felt herself within Duo's embrace then, it was so sudden she didn't know how to react. While holding one arm around her back, Duo brought the other one up behind her head and started stroking her long honey blonde hair. While breathing in it's strawberry scent Duo said, "No Relena, you did nothing wrong. Nothing what so ever so please don't say that okay...? It actually makes me feel more guilty hehe..." Backing away from her a little so he could look at her face again, he looked down at her seriously and begged, "Please... Please just say that you forgive me... That way, I won't keep having the past holding me back whenever I see you. I want to have that burden cleared so I can just carry the good memories not any old ones... Please Relena..."

She still wanted to debate with him about that. Because back then, she did do things to him which were not forgiveable. That was when she used to be friends with Sylvia and the others. To fit in she used to put herself above others while treating people like shit if they weren't as popular as she was. She used to think she was some sort of queen amoung other people at school and it wasn't right. And she did indeed give Duo crap about him being poor which definately wasn't fair considering it was her family who made him like that. Not saying that he was poor, since he wasn't but he definately wasn't rich so really, she didn't deserve his friendship. But Duo really seemed to need her forgiveness. Just looking at him she could see he was dead serious about what he said and he was staring at her, waiting for her to answer him. 'Forgive and forget... I should do that too...'

"Duo... if you can forgive me than of course I can forgive you. We can forget what happened and start again from scratch hehe." Relena smiled then while Duo smiled back as well.

"Well, I don't want to start again from scratch because...," Bringing his hands to her waist, Duo suddenly lifted her off the ground much to Relena's surprise and finished, "... We have come so far already haha." Duo felt so much weight come off his shoulders then, he couldn't help but feel so excited that now he can move forward with everything. He didn't have to worry about the past anymore, just the present and future. Right now he couldn't help but feel so happy about getting this sorted out. He started chuckling while spinning her around in a circle. Relena had her hands rested on his shoulders for support, feeling a little surprised at first but couldn't help but smile and laugh along with him.

Hilde walked into the room then, still in her bathing suit since she was wondering where everyone was. When she looked at Duo and Relena she went wide eyed at the sight before her. Why was Duo swinging her around like that, and what were they so happy about. If she didn't know better they almost looked like, a couple. When Duo placed Relena back on the ground, he gave her another big hug and noticed Hilde standing by the doorway. "Ah Hilde!" Duo said as he released his hold on Relena, "Where have you been all this time?" Hilde remained silent, not really knowing what to say. She was over Duo wasn't she? She liked Trowa right? Duo's smile started fading a little with the look on Hilde's face, she looked troubled over something. Before he could ask she had already left the room without another word.

When Mariemaia had finished preparing the table, she began wondering why everyone wasn't here yet. She knew they were all hungry so why haven't they all come yet? Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, she stopped when she noticed Trowa walk in. "Oh my god! Trowa!? Is that really you!?" Mariemaia ran up to him then and gave him a big hug, causing Trowa to cough slightly at the tightness of it. She saw him a couple of days ago so he didn't understand why she was so excited. "Ah, it's rare to have you visit me a second time with the first being so recent! Is it because you can't keep me off your mind?" She winked then, causing Trowa to pale in colour slightly. He knew she was joking but jokes like that still freaked him out no matter how many times she would use it. It was until she noticed the parcel in his hand that her cheery face vanished instantly.

"Is... Is that...?"

"Yes," Trowa merely said as he held it out to her, "It's a bit late bu-"

"No," Mariemaia said as she backed away from him, "I don't want it..."

"Perhaps, but you still want to see what's inside."

Mariemaia stared at it for a while before sighing in defeat. As much as she didn't want it, she still wanted to see what it was since it has been a whole year. Bringing her hand up, Mariemaia couldn't help but hesitate a bit as she tried reaching out for the parcel. Her hand was beginning to shake as her hand got closer and closer, she didn't know why she was getting so scared over a little package but it was who the senders were which got her feeling so nervous. Trowa stood by and watched as she tried reaching out the parcel, he continued holding it out to her patiently since he knew this was hard for her. She was actually a lot stronger than he would be in this position. If he was her, he would want to have it burnt the moment he sees it.

Mariemaia did eventually grasp the parcel within her grasp and slowly tightened her hold on it as she brought it into her arms. She took a few deep breaths and looked down at it for a moment, almost wondering what to do next. Trowa just stood there in complete silence, not really knowing what else he could say or do for her. In the end he decided to leave the room so she could have this time to herself. He wasn't Quatre so he wasn't going to help carry this burden she has but even so, he will wait here so that if she did want to talk, he would listen.

Quatre walked out of the bathroom then, feeling refreshed and a lot calmer. He didn't realise how much he really needed that. The minute he went into the shower he felt all his problems wash own the drain without any hesitation. But he still couldn't get Relena out of his mind, nothing could really, she was always there. When walking over to his bag for some clothes, Quatre began wondering what to wear until he heard his cell phone ring. He almost felt tempted to let it ring out but the longer he left it, the longer it continued to ring. Sighing in defeat, Quatre got up and walked over to it. He pressed the receive button and went to answer when suddenly he heard, "Quatre, where are you?"

"F-Father...?" Quatre stuttered, totally caught off guard with him receiving a call from his dad but with his father's next words, Quatre went completely blank.

As Relena walked into the kitchen, she noticed Mariemaia was still here but noticed she seemed very quiet about something. When she walked up to the red haired girl, Relena looked down in her arms and found it being a book with a blank silver cover. The book looked simple but quite nice, was it another present for her? She noticed the wrappings of the parcel on the floor and noticed it was the parcel Trowa was carrying earlier. "Why..." Mariemaia softly said, causing Relena to look up at her in question. "Why do they do this to me...?"

Relena had no idea what she was talking about, but grew very concerned with the way Mariemaia was behaving. She noticed tears were beginning to form in her eyes and before she knew it, one after another they began dropping from her face until the red head couldn't take it any longer. She threw the book towards a wall and ran straight up to Relena to cry her heart out. Relena was shocked but brought her arms around the girl for comfort, wondering what caused her to cry like this. She wasn't used to seeing Mariemaia so upset since she hardly ever was. She was the cheerful type who always had a smile on her face and never let herself get down no matter how bad things got. But this time it seemed something very serious got her reacting this way. Relena looked to the book on the ground and noticed it had writing in it. Was it perhaps a journal?

"Every year..." Mariemaia said between sobs as she tried calming herself down, "I get the same thing every year... Without fail..." Relena continued holding her friend close while listening to her words carefully. "I... I always receive a journal... From my parents... It tells me what they have been up to the year they are away..." Rubbing one of her eyes free of tears Mariemaia continued, "They left me when I was about three since they wanted to travel the world. I remember it perfectly clear... My mum smiling at me with her biggest smile saying 'Don't worry we won't be gone for long! We will miss you very much so keep strong until we return!' Yeah... Although it has been fifteen years since tht day. Like hell they would be back soon..." Unwrapping her arms from Relena, Mariemaia backed away from her and turned to look at the book on the ground.

"This... This 'thing' is supposed to show how much they care about me. Yet whenever I do decide to read it, I never see any, 'We miss you Marie!', 'Wish you were here!' or more importantly, 'We will be back soon!' I feel... As though they have forgotten about me, like I was a mistake or something. My grand parents have been the ones raising me up to this point and while I do appreciate it, I feel like I don't belong. Since they aren't supposed to be my parents... What's worse to is that they treat me like I'm a princess while they are my servants. They never like me doing anything. They are always so polite and nice, always wanting nothing but the best for me... But really... It's all fake. I think, they just do it in hopes to make up for my parents absence, and to make sure I grow up being the happiest I can be. But how can I... When I feel like I hardly have a family..."

Walking up to the journal on the ground, Mariemaia picked it up and started turning through the pages before continuing, "Uncle Treize is the only one who really feels like family to me. He is the younger brother of my mother. When my parents went travelling, he always came over as much as he could so he could hang out with me. It was nice since he gave me the chance to cry in his arms, allowing me to get everything out of my system then help me get better by going out and having some fun. But that has become less and less frequent since he is with Cathrine. Since he needs to focus on his life he doesn't really have much room for me anymore... This is why I'm always so active you know? To help keep my mind off of things like this. Music helps get everything out as well which is why I take it so seriously. But at times, I get ashamed of my weakness."

Folding the book over so it was closed she said, "I still get upset when this moment happens on my birthday every year... I wish that I didn't have to cry everytime this happened to me... I guess, it shows I still care. But I don't want it ruling my life, I have other things I need to focus on. But I admit, I'm getting better... I used to cry for days over this. Wishing and hoping that my mum and dad would come back... But this year, seems I only needed to cry for a few minutes hehe." Turning to look at Relena, Mariemaia gave a slight smile and apologised, "Sorry for crying on you like that. It just seemed to come out without me being ready for it."

Relena shook her head head and smiled a little, "It's fine, you don't need to apologise... I just wish I could help you..." It was odd, she never knew Mariemaia suffered from something like this. With her bubbly personality she expected her life to be full of laughter and joy as though nothing was going wrong in her life. Relena had to admire this, why Mariemaia suffered much like her, she at least tried fighting it and wouldn't let her life revolve around it. She would put on her bravest smile and face each day as it came, no matter how tough it would get. Relena on the other hand kept thinking about her problems and never did a thing to fix them, just keep crying over them hoping they would go away eventually. But they never did. That was until Quatre came along to help her. She really needed to repay him for this, she felt a lot happier now because of him.

"Thanks for listening to me... That's all I ever really need... Just so long as I can get it out I'm happy hehe." Observing the book for a moment, Mariemaia held it close to her chest and added, "One day, I will be able to face this with a smile. I will one day be able to be happy that at least my parents are having a good time. They wouldn't keep sending me these journals if they didn't care at all. Even if this wasn't the type of relationship I wanted with my parents, I will embrace it with both arms and accept it for how it is. Not wishing for anything more..."

While Trowa was leanning against a wall along the hallway, he heard the front door knock a few times. Turning his head in that direction, he wondered why they weren't using the door bell. After all not everyone would be close enough to the door to hear that someone was there. Since he figured no one else could hear it he decided to go answer it himself, he might as well make himself useful while he was here. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see it was Heero. Wearing a long black jacket with a grey button up shirt and jeans, Heero removed the black sunglasses, revealing a black bruise over his right eye and stared critically at Trowa asking, "What are you doing here?"

That black eyes was either from Wufei or himself, Trowa couldn't remember but it was one of them that's for sure. At least Heero didn't have anything broken from that fight at the party. But even so, why was he here? "I should be the one asking." Heero didn't have the time nor the patience for this. He pushed Trowa aside while entering the house. He looked around frantically and started jogging down the hallway. If Trowa didn't know any better he figured Heero was looking for Relena, but why so urgently?

Heero continued looking through every room in hopes to find her but he was getting more and more frustrated with the seconds he was wasting in searching. He should have asked Trowa when he had the chance. As he came to the kitchen, he noticed Relena and Mariemaia laughing about something. This was a shock, he was actually seeing Relena happy for once. When was the last time he saw her smile or even laugh like that? God now he wished he didn't have to do this to her...

Relena turned to look at the doorway and couldn't believe Heero was here. Mariemaia was shocked as well, not to mention she couldn't help but giggle a little, "Nice eye Heero." The japanese boy merely glared at the red head but turned his gaze to Relena as he held his hand out. Relena looked at it for a moment before looking to Heero with confusion written all over he features. "Come with me," Heero merely said as he continued holding his hand out.

"Huh? Why?" Relena questioned, feeling a little worried about all of this. Heero wasn't going to wait for her to answer. Instead he reached out for her hand and started dragging her out the room behind him. Mariemaia went wide eyed when she saw this and went chasing after them. "Hey! Let her go you bastard! You have no right to just waltz in here barking orders and just do whatever you damn well please! This is my home so explain yourself!" Heero didn't answer, he just continued dragging Relena along with him until he got to the front door. Trowa was still there and noticed what was going on, although he did nothing to stop it. He merely left the door open for Heero and Relena before closing it behind them. Leaving Mariemaia steaming at Trowa for this. Trowa turned his emerald eyed to Mariemaia and shook his head saying, "Leave them be... This is something important..."

"Huh!?" Mariemaia said, "How do you know that!?"

"I don't... I just get a feeling it is..." He merely said as he leanned against the door while folding his arms. At least this way Mariemaia couldn't try chasing after them.

"Heero!" Relena yelled as she got forced into Heero's car. When Heero got into the drivers seat, he went to start the ignition when he heard, "Heero please tell me what's going on! You're scaring me!" With that being said, Heero stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. Relena stared at him for a moment, wondering what all of this could possibly be about. But with the expression on his face, she could tell this wasn't going to be good. Heero took a hold of one of her hands and held it tightly for support before saying, "I really wish I didn't have to tell you this. Seeing you so happy, for the first time in years has got me wishing this hadn't happened... But it has... And so I need to tell you..."

As Heero said his next sentence, Relena felt as though time had just stopped around her. She was stunned by what she just heard and didn't want to believe it but at the same time she knew Heero wouldn't joke around with something like that. Her heart started to beat slower and slower while she had lost the ability to breath. Everything around her just went black as Heero's words echoed through her head.

"Relena... Mr. Darlian... Is dead..."

**Author's Note:** OMG OMG OMG! Have my eyes deceived me!? I've actually finished this chapter! dances Very sorry I didn't have it done sooner. When I posted my Author's Note up I said I would have this up in a couple of days. And I would have, if I was satisfied with the chapter>.> So yes, I started again from scratch which is why it took longer to wait.. again. claps hands together and bows head So very very sorry. Since it's the Christmas holidays I had the time to work on this and I decided to dedicate my whole day to get it finished. And I did so I'm proud of myself right now Yay yay hehe.

I still feel so bad though. I hope it's not too late for all of you to come back to read this. It's kind of hard really since I started this when I was under deep depression. Now that I'm content with things, it's hard to understand what I was trying to bring out from this fanfic. At the time I started, this helped me express the pain I was feeling from some things which I was going through. And sadly I have forgotten most of the things I had planned for this story lol. :P

Ah well it is not the end, getting all the depressing stuff out of the way is going to start changing a little so I can actually get into the groove of writing again The reason why this took me so long was because it was all sad but now that I'm trying to make things a little more easy going I'm writing more and more without realising it hehe. Anyways, hope I will be getting some reviews for this, that way I will know if anyone is still reading lol. And if you like, you can try contacting me on MSN messenger sometime If you have it that is hehe :P

My MSN email is the current email I'm using here on FF. net. Simply check my profile lol. And my AIM one is: Neon Fantasy DM but I don't go on AIM much compared to MSN. So yeah, contact me sometime ;) You can talk to me about the fanfic with some suggestions you may have, any questions, comments or simply to hail me for my lovely story thus far ................ LOL, ah just kidding hehe, sorry I hardly class myself as a good writer but yeah, if you would like to say hi don't hesitate to contact me. This way if I take too long bringing out Chapter 15 you can personally message me and say, "GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT ALREADY!!!!" But yeah I shall try getting the next chapter out ASAP .

Merry Christmas to you all!! hugs and kisses This is my present to you all hehe. Love ya, bye bye!! . 


	17. Chapter 15

**Don't Push Me Away **

**by Neon Fantasy**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing which are used in this story, they rightfully belong to Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. This was only written for entertainment purposes. This is a 4+R story.

**Chapter 15**

**"TEXT"- Speaking**

**'TEXT' - Thinking**

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Rushing into her house, Relena slammed the door behind her and made sure to double lock it. She didn't want anyone bothing her right now, not now. She leaned her back against the door and stared down at the ground. How was she supposed to take this? She felt as though it was a really bad dream, or perhaps someone was playing a cruel joke. Relena can't see her father dying like this so soon. Not when she would have expected this when he was in his seventies or eighties. He was too young to die but no matter what she thought, he was gone and nothing could be done to bring him back.

Relena started to cry then, causing the aquamarine colour in her eyes to turn glassy. She had such a close bond with her father. Even though he was on business trips a lot, they always made sure to make up for the time he was away when he got back home. Things were always so great with him, while she couldn't open up to him completely she just enjoyed being in his presence. Being with him like real family, but now it's over. She has nothing left but her mother... Her mother...

This caused Relena to cry more, she couldn't bare to think how life would be with that woman. She could tolerate her only because she could get along so well with her father so in ways it made up for their lousy relationship. But now that Mr. Darlian was gone, all her hapiness left along with his soul.

There was nothing she could do about Mrs. Darlian though, she hated Relena with a passion and no matter how many times Relena tried fixing things with her it always went from bad to worse. But what could she do? Relena would just have to put up with her right? After all she was her mother... Although, perhaps she didn't have to... 'Oh no..' Relena realised as she slid down to the ground. Her eyes went wide with fear as she realised what may happen to her from this point. Since Mr. Darlian was the one who supported this family, there will be no one to take care of them both... Which means...

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"No... NOOOO!" Relena screamed as she placed her hands over the sides of her head, "I don't want to go back! I don't! I don't want to!" She started shaking then, thinking of past memories which she wished she could get rid of. It was starting to consume her, making her dread life itself. She thought she could escape it. She thought she could forget it. She thought she could try starting again. But she can't, not while she still lives. "Although..." Relena said to herself as she lowered her hands, "I can change that..." She said this with an emotionless tone while slowly rising up from the ground. "I can escape this..." And with that, she started walking towards the kitchen.

Quatre sat silently in the church with Duo and the others as they listened to the serman being given to Mr. Darlian. While Duo and everyone else was sitting to his left, Mrs. Darlian was sitting to his right. She was taking this very badly, she was crying her heart out on his arm and she had continued doing this when she arrived here. It was understandable though, it showed she loved him dearly and it was a shock for him to die so soon. When he heard it was because of lung cancer it all made sense. He could remember Mr. Darlian hardly breathing when he went over Relena's place for dinner that time. And at that time, Quatre knew something was wrong but he just dismissed it as a passing thought. Now look what happened.

He couldn't help but feel depressed about this, he could have done something to save him. Mr. Darlian could still be alive now if he mentioned something sooner. Now both Mrs. Darlian and Relena were suffering as a result. And here he promised to make things better for Relena, in ways he was just making things worse and worse. But it was then that Quatre's heart gave out in aching pain, causing him to quickly put both hands over his chest. He felt as though someone had just stabbed him.

"Q-Quatre? Quatre what-what's wrong?" Mrs. Darlian asked as she continued weeping. Duo looked over Quatre at that moment as well, growing very concerned as to what's happening to him. Duo placed a hand over his shoulder for comfort as she quietly asked, "Hey are you alright? Do you need some help?" Quatre wasn't paying any attention to both of them, he stared at the ground in shock as he continued feeling his heart ache. Something's wrong, he could feel it but what was it? His heart tightened again, making him feel even more agony. This caused him to fall forward onto his knees. This started grabbing more and more people's attention.

"Quatre?" Duo got up and tried pulling him up off the ground, "Do you need some air or something? Come on, talk to me!" Quatre still wasn't listening, he knew something has happened and he needed to figure it out. This happened with Mr. Darlian so he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. His heart didn't hurt this badly with Mr. Darlian though, this was making a bigger affect on him. The feeling was deep, so that meant it had to be something he held dear to himself. Then it hit him. "Miss... Relena..."

"Huh?" Duo questioned, wondering why he was mentioning Relena's name. When looking around the church Duo began wondering where the hell she was, she was here not too long ago. "Eh? Why didn't she tell anyone she was going out for a moment? You would think she would be here for her Mr. Darlian's serman no matter how much it may pain her to hear it." Quatre's eyes widdened with his words, Relena wasn't here? That's when Quatre broke free of Duo's hold of him and started staggering to the exit. Duo watched him with shock as he went to catch up with him. Mariemaia and the others watched them as well, wondering what was going on. They wanted to get up and see but they didn't want to cause a bigger scene than what was already made.

As Quatre made it to the doors, he went to walk out but he felt Duo grabbing hold of his arm. "Quatre wait! Tell me where you're going! You can't go anywhere alone in this condition!" Quatre tried pulling away from him but Duo kept a firm grip on him. That's when Quatre turned to face the braided boy, showing the deep sorrow and pain he was feeling right now. "Duo, if you are my friend... You will let me go... Right... Now... I need to go..."

"But where?" Duo questioned, still not understanding what was going on.

"To Relena..." Quatre pulled away with more force then as he exited the room, leaving Duo massively confused. Was Relena in trouble or something? Why did he always want to help Relena on his own? It wasn't like he was the only one who cared... Sighing to himself, he figured that Quatre will explain all of this later when the matter was fixed, he always did so this shouldn't be any different. As he turned to head back to his seat, he stopped when he noticed someone else walking out. They had a long dark grey coat on with a black button up shirt and black pants. He couldn't tell who they were since they were wearing black sunglasses over their eyes but that dark brown hair seemed very farmiliar. 'Is that...'

"Duo," Hilde said as she walked up to him, "What's going on? Where is Quatre going?" Duo looked at her then and shrugged. He didn't have anything to say since he was just as confused as she was. But as respect for Mr. Darlian, Duo walked back to his seat and sat back down again. Hilde did the same but she was still concerned over this whole situation. Relena and Quatre were no where to be seen and Duo seemed to be in deep thought as well.

While Duo continued wondering where Relena was, he jumped slightly when he felt someone holding his arm. Looking over to see who it was, his eyebrow twitched when he found it being Mrs. Darlian. She was still crying except now she was crying over his arm now that Quatre wasn't here. God she hated him with a passion yet she doesn't seem to mind using him for emotional support. Duo almost felt like shoving her off him but he could understand her pain, it was the only reason he was letting her continue. But her next words left him speechless, "I'm just like you now..." She said softly, between sobs, "I'm... I'm like you... Again..." The minute she said that, she shook her head and broke into another crying fit.

Duo couldn't handle seeing a woman like this, even if it was someone who dreaded his very prescence. No one deserved to suffer like this, not even her. Bringing his other hand over to her slowly, he hesitated a bit before resting it over one of her hands. He patted it softly for comfort, not really knowing what else he could do. He was expecting her to slap his hand away or something but she didn't do anything of a sort. She just continued crying while holding onto his arm a little tighter. He was still wondering about her words though, normally the only things she would say to him were mere insults on either his appearance or life, so what did she mean by 'just like you'?

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As Quatre raced out of the church, he wasted no time in getting to his car. Quickly getting inside, he put his belt on and started the ignition. Quatre could feel that something was definately wrong with Relena and needed to see her before she did anything bad. Her father had just died and considering how bad her relationship is with her mother, Relena would feel as though she had no family anymore. Who knows what she might do. Quatre reversed the car out of the parking lot and quickly exited the place so he could try finding her. Relena couldn't have left too long ago, she would have to be close but it would depend on where she would go.

"Come on Quatre, think. Where would Relena go?" He hasn't known her long enough to find out if she had any secret places she would like to go to on her own. But considering the state she would be in, she wouldn't want anyone to see her. Relena had a thing about keeping her problems to herself. So the only other place he could think of that allowed her to have her privacy was her house. No one was there so it would be the best place. He had a gut feeling she would go there and his instincts never let him down so he wasn't going to deny them just yet.

It was annoying to come across so many red traffic lights when you were in a hurry. This was the third one he had come to in less than five minutes. Quatre was never really the type to be so impatient but in times like this it couldn't be helped. Why was he feeling so scared? With everytime he had to stop the car because of traffic lights, he could feel himself shaking more and more as the time passed. He could feel sweat forming up on his forehead as well. Quatre continued watching the lights but they remained exactly the way they were before, red. His heart was racing then, something bad was going to happen and all he could do was sit here without being able to do a thing!

"I can't waste time on this!" Quatre said to himself as he put his foot down on the petal, causing the car to speed forward. Other cars passing through needed to stop suddenly with Quatre speeding pass so it was lucky no accidents happened. Still, Quatre knew he would get a fine for this later with the amount of cameras on the road now. Hopefully he won't run into any police officers on the way. Since unlike cameras, they won't be settling things with him later.

A few minutes had passed until Quatre had reached Relena's house. Usually it would have taken longer to get there but considering the speed Quatre was going at, the time of arrival was cut in half. He noticed Mrs. Darlian's car was at the front so Relena must be home. Turning the car off, Quatre quickly got out and raced for the front door. Once he was there, Quatre reached for the door knob and tried turning it, only to find the door was locked. He tried ringing the door bell a few times but still the door remained closed.

"Miss Relena! Are you home?" Quatre shouted as he tried banging on the door. It didn't seem as though anyone was going to answer. Was Relena ignoring him? She could be, maybe she was just crying too hard for her to hear the door. No, there was no way she would be crying that loud for the door bells to not be heard. It seems his only other option was to break in. Checking over the front windows, he noticed they were also locked from the inside. If he were to get in, he would have to break down something. Considering his options, he decided on the door since windows were more dangerous. This was wrong he admitted but unlike a door, Relena's life can't be replaced.

As he went back to the door, Quatre took a few steps back and started gathering strength and determination within himself to break the door down. But before he could charge he suddenly collapsed to the ground with excruciating pain. It was taking all his will power to not scream out in agony. His right hand was clenching his chest tightly while his other was resting on the ground supporting his body. He was shaking violently while he began sweating a lot. His face on the other hand was full of shock and fear. 'No... No... Please don't let this be...'

He was scared for Relena's safety, this pain he was feeling had to be what she was going through and knowing her, she would want to end it the easy way. Backing up from the door a bit, Quatre got a hold of himself and tried with all his might to push the door down. Once slamming the side of his upper body into it, he managed to bring the door off it's hinges, leaving him with access to enter. This deep feeling within his body was so strong, this depression. It was unbareable. If he didn't have such a strong urge to live, he would feel like commiting suicide right now. 'So... This is what Relena is feeling right now...?'

Quatre had to help her, she had to understand that this doesn't have to rule her life. Things will get better for her in time, she just needed to be strong and patient. Nothing can be perfect all your life. So all you can do is live through it and learn from it. It's what life was all about. But without wasting anymore time, Quatre took a few steps inside and looked around. He couldn't hear anything in the house, everything was so quiet. This scared him even more, he was hoping to hear a bit of crying or some form of movement but there was nothing. Nothing at all.

"Miss Relena? Where are you?" Quatre called out. Seems she wasn't going to come out to see him. This caused Quatre's heart to beat faster and faster with him getting the feeling he could be right. Quickly running down the hallway, Quatre looked into every room he passed in hope to find her before it was too late. He found every room empty and was about ready to give up before he spotted another room close to the back of the house. The door was closed. Relena could possibly be inside. 'Oh god...' Quatre thought in his head as he approached the door. This door was locked as well and while Quatre knocked on it a few times, no one came to open it.

"Miss Relena? Please open the door! MISS RELENA?" At that moment, Quatre heard a thud coming from behind the door. Besides that sound there was nothing but silence. 'Oh god no...' Quatre started colliding his shoulder into the door as hard as he could. He would kick it down but he was too scared about the door collapsing on top of her if she was near it. It took a few attempts but he finally got it open. Once he was inside however, he went into deep shock. There she was. Lying on the ground, with a bloody knife in her hand as blood was oozing out of her body while laying unconcious.

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Staring down at the sight of Relena's fragile form, Quatre slowly walked up to her bed feeling a mix of different emotions right now. He didn't know what to think, or what to do, or even say. Then again what could he say to someone who was unconscious right now? Sitting himself on a chair beside the bed, he stared down at Relena's face and noticed how pale she was. She was almost ghostly white, her lips were dry and if anything he was surprised she was still alive with the way she looked. Still, he was thankful she was but he didn't know how to take this. Bringing his hands to his face, he tried keeping himself calm but nothing was helping right now. Seeing her like this was not helping, and as a result it started making him cry.

"I'm sorry," Quatre whispered between sobs, "Miss Relena, this is all my fault... If only I... If only..." He started crying harder then, unable to keep control of himself. It was all his fault, he could have done something to prevent this from happening but he was useless in the end. It hurt, it really hurt seeing her like this. He could feel his heart clenching ever so tightly like someone was squeezing the life out of it. He could feel Relena's pain, he could feel what she was suffering from and he was in agony over it. What was worse was that it was started to make an effect on his own pain, his suffering which was suppose to remain hidden but...

"No.." Quatre said out loud to himself as he got up from the chair, wiping his face clean of his tears. He began pacing the room then, trying to regain his composture. He needed to be strong after all, he needed to be strong for Relena. Although was it in his place to lie to himself? Quatre was hardly in the mood to try acting positive. Of any time he needed to be, he just couldn't do it right now. Not now, not when someone was fighting for life all because he couldn't do a thing to help.

"Miss Relena.." Quatre said softly as he looked back at her on the bed again, "I've been useless, from the beginning haven't I?" Walking back over to her side, he kneeled down on the ground and looked over her face. Nothing had changed, but at least now he could look at her without breaking down. He raised his hand then and started stroking her hair. Some of it was silky soft like her hair usually was but some of it was a little hard and sticky, mainly because of the blood puddle she was lying on. Images of Relena were flashing before him again, images of her on the ground covered in blood. His eyes were going teary eyed again but he was doing his best to hold them back as best as he could.

"Your condition, the condition you shouldn't be in... I said I would help you, but in the end, what use was I to you? I have done nothing, nothing to help you at all... Your problems at school, family, friends, past relationships..." Resting his forehead on the matress, Quatre closed his eyes and continued, "Miss Relena, I have something I need to say to you. When I first met you, you reminded me of myself. The way you portrayed yourself made you look strong. You looked fine as though nothing was effecting you at all but I could see through that. I could see the pain you were going through since, I am in exactly the same position." Glancing up at her again he added, "You intrigued me, I wanted to learn and see how you went about life knowing you had to carry such heavy burdens."

Getting himself up from the ground he tilted his head up and glanced at the ceiling, "I wanted to help you because, you were going about things the wrong way. While knowing you have your inner demons, keeping them in mind does not help you get any better. You need to try thinking positively, not that you may feel like it but you need to look at some good things about life to keep you going." Lowering his head, he shrugged to himself and continued, "Like me for example, what I think about i-is..." Having that thought in his head, he looked over at Relena again and quickly shook his head before walking over to the window, "Sorry, don't worry about that last bit."

Staring out at the sky for a few moments, Quatre took a deep breathe and thought for a moment why he was about to confess something as emotional as that just now? She didn't need to hear that, she was in no condition to hear about how he felt. Although it didn't help him much, knowing he spent so much time with her everyday, it made things worse for him. Hanging onto a false hope it seemed.

'I'm no better than Heero...' Quatre thought to himself.

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Leanning his head against the window, Quatre sighed to himself and continued thinking for a while until he heard the door opening. He turned to see who had entered and noticed it was Mrs. Darlian, crying on the shoulder of Duo. Duo closed the door when they had both walked in and helped Mrs. Darlian to a chair beside Relena's bed. Her crying didn't stop there though, one look at Relena made her cry even harder. She folded her arms on the bed and rested her head in them as she allowed the tears to keep falling from her eyes. Duo stared blankly at her for a while before walking over to Quatre.

He looked over him for a moment and said, "This isn't your fault.." Quatre jumped when he heard Duo's voice and looked at him for a moment, not really registering what he had said. Duo noticed this and patted him on the shoulder in order to be sure he had his attention, "Quatre, this was not your fault. There was no way you could have stopped this from happening." Quatre remained silent, he knew Duo was just trying to make him feel better but he couldn't. Not with what has happened today. Just watching Mrs. Darlian crying like this was making him feel even worse. He could feel it, he could feel the pain she was suffering from. It was as though everything she had ever suffered from in her life has now surfaced, making her feel and experience it all in one hit.

But why today? Why did life have to be so cruel as to make someone like her experience everything she had always feared so close together like this? He was asking himself questions which no one could really answer. It was just the way of life, during it's bad times. But where was the good when you needed it? He has always believed that things happen in life for a reason, and that good will always come out of bad situations eventually. Although so far he hasn't seen anything get better, just the continuation of things getting worse and worse.

Duo watched Quatre for a while, not really knowing what he could say or do to help him feel better. It was just like this guy to blame everything on himself, even when nothing could be done to prevent it. Why couldn't he see that? It's not like Quatre was god, he can't stop bad things from happening to people. It was just like himself, wishing he could have prevented his father's death. Sure it was hard to bare, not to mention hard to get over but in time you learn to accept it. There was nothing he could have done to stop his father, even if he did stop him from entering the office, it would have only delayed his death. It was going to happen since it was his father's will to do so, he killed himself because he was just a weak person.

"Mrs. Darlian..." Quatre softly said as he walked up to her, "I'm just going to go get you something to drink alright?" Mrs. Darlian didn't answer, she still had her head in her arms and didn't sound as though her sobs were going to stop anytime soon. This was becoming harder for Quatre to deal with, knowing that her pain was a result of him. Patting her gently on the shoulder, Quatre bowed his head in shame and slowly looked back to Relena once again. Tears were beginning to swell up in his eyes again, resulting in him turning to leave the room. He needed to clear his head, he needed to get control of himself since right now he was a nervous wreck.

When Quatre left the room, Duo turned his gaze to Relena and watched her for a while, not really knowing what to think. He was upset to see Relena like this, but in someways he was slightly annoyed. She was better than this, she was better than how she always saw herself to be. Just because her mother or some people at school never saw the good in her, others like himself and Quatre could. They have done everything in their power to try and help her see that but she just doesn't seem to believe it. He almost felt like asking, 'If you hate yourself so much, why shouldn't we hate you as well?' To be accepted by others, you need to first accept yourself...

"Then again, I have to admit I was no better myself..." Duo mumbled to himself. But like all people, they can change if given the chance. Like he has for example, his thoughts on Relena had changed completely. Actually, they made a complete 180 degree turn from how he originally felt. From hating her he has gone to liking her and even... even... Duo suddenly blushed and quickly shook his head at the thoughts in his head. 'God damn it man! This is no time to be thinking like that!' The point he was trying to get through to himself was that like him, she has the opportunity to change. That is, if she can make the effort to do so.

'I wonder if they will be coming...' Duo thought to himself as he stared out the window.

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He stayed like that for a while, not saying a word as he continued hearing Mrs. Darlian cry. Duo turned his glance to Relena and noticed she was still the same. It saddened him to see her like that, it began to make him feel it was his fault as well. If he wasn't being so hesitant in letting Quatre go, would he have made it in time to stop Relena from doing this to herself? If he would have, this would mean none of this would have happened. But Duo brushed that thought aside and started walking to the door. Thinking 'what if's' wasn't going to help anyone. But he was only thinking this way since he had nothing to do. Usually keeping active kept his mind off of things so he thought about going out for a walk.

Once walking out of Relena's room, Duo thought about ringing Hilde. She and the others needed to leave after Mr. Darlian's serman so they had no idea as to what happened to Relena. So being Relena's friends, they could help her wake up sooner. Sure she was unconcious, but Duo figured having them all there would make Relena happy once she woke. Yes, Relena was going to wake up and nothing was changing his mind otherwise. She had too much to let go off right now, it's not her time to leave. But as Duo walked down the corridor, he stopped when he saw a farmiliar face walk around the corner.

"... I'm seeing her now." The person with the dark grey coat said as they talked through their cell phone, "Yes, room 104." Nodding at that, the figure turned their cell phone off and paused for a moment, noticing Duo standing before them. Duo wasn't at all surprised to see this guy here and just by the room number he mentioned, Duo knew he was here to see Relena. The guy staring at Duo lowered his sunglasses and narrowed his eyes on him. He was in no mood to talk to Duo so he started walking towards him without so much as another glance.

As he was about to pass Duo, they heard the braided boy say, "So, they will be coming to see her after all, huh Heero?"

Once Duo said that, Heero stopped where he was and continued looking straight ahead. Duo simply put his hands black pant pockets and added, "You know, they have no place to come and see her like this. Not after what they have done to her."

"Whether you like it or not isn't any of your business," Heero simply replied.

"Ah so it is who I'm thinking," Duo said as he smirked to himself.

Heero's eyebrow twitched when he realised he gave away who he was talking to. But no matter, it wasn't any secret. They would be here shortly anyway. And once they are, hopefully things will go better for Relena. They will make everything better and hopefully give her what she deserves.

"You know, this is going to make things worse," Duo mentioned, annoying Heero even more since he was hoping Duo was finished, "If you cared you would know this isn't going to work out. They are just complete jackasses and deserve to go to hell."

"I would watch my tongue if I were you," Heero said as he brought out a gun from his coat and pointed it right at Duo. The braided boy glanced at it for a moment and wondered how he got one of those. Was it even allowed here? Did he get it through the black markets or something? But thinking on it some more, being close to high ranked people got you things like this all the time. Needing it for protection or to simply gain control over any situation.

"Heero, if that is supposed to threaten me than you have another thing coming." Turning to face Heero completely, Duo stepped right up to the gun and stared with his cobalt eyes straight into Heero's prussian blue ones. However Duo was finding himself slightly intimidated by Heero's cold stare, it was so emotionless and its glare seemed to burn holes straight through you. But Duo continued standing his ground, he had to speak up for Relena's sake.

"I might not have known her for as long as you but I know what would be better for her. And having those heartless morons coming to see her isn't going to help. She has told me what has happened between them and she has been better off. Relena hates them and she is going to do nothing but suffer if she is to reunite with them. Come on Heero! For someone who loves her you should be able to understand her pain!"

At that moment, Duo felt the gun slap across his face causing his head to turn to the side. He had to admit the force of the hit hurt, but Duo wasn't about to show it phased him. Instead he turned his head back to Heero and noticed the dark haired teen glaring angrily at him. "Let's get something straight Maxwell! One, you DON'T know what would be best for her. Two, what Relena says doesn't matter because she doesn't even know what she wants right now. She is in a state where she needs all the help she can get so right now her opinion doesn't count. And three, I would understand her better if she merely talked to me!"

Duo was speechless at that moment, never before had he seen Heero get so emotional before. It was such a shock he didn't know what to say, he was saying so much that he wasn't even sure if Heero knew what he was saying. He definately struck a nerve in Heero's system that's for sure but anything regarding Relena got him in these types of states. But by watching him, Duo was beginning to feel a little sorry for the guy. He looked so upset, so alone, so guilty, as though HE was beating himself up for what has happened to Relena.

"So it isn't just Quatre..." He said softly, pulling Duo out of his thoughts, "She's opening up to you too..." Putting away his gun, Heero stared at the ground for a moment before turning to leave. He had nothing more to say to Duo but before he could leave, he came face to face with Quatre - the last person he wanted to see. Quatre had a cup of coffee in his hand for Mrs. Darlian and was going to go give it to her until he noticed Duo talking to Heero. What caught his eye was when he noticed Heero looking very upset about something, he wasn't sure what it was but he was hoping to help in some way.

"Heero, are you alr-"

"Shut it Quatre!" Heero interupted as he glared at the blonde, "Get lost before I decide to hurt you." Quatre was taken by surprise with Heero's words, he had no idea where that outburst came from but one thing was for certain, something was bothering him. And Quatre wasn't the type of person to leave someone like that either. He started walking up to Heero, hoping to try comforting him. Heero on the other hand was beginning to feel uncomfortable as he watched Quatre walk closer. Did he not understand a word he said a moment ago? Duo was feeling uneasy about this as well, he knew what Heero was like and judging the look on his face he wasn't going to hold back, "Quatre, just leave him be."

Quatre stopped in his tracks as he heard Duo's words. He watched Heero and wondered if he really should leave him alone. It wasn't going to solve anything if they just left things the way they are. True they weren't exactly on good terms but if he could help Heero in any way than he wouldn't care if he got punched or kicked. "But even so," Quatre said as he looked to Duo, "When you wanted me to leave you alone that time, I didn't did I? And even when we weren't getting along, we solved the conflict which was happening between us. As a result we became friends again, much closer too. So Duo, please understand that I want to help Heero out in any way I can."

Duo was left speechless. Was Quatre hoping to become friends with Heero? The guy who could win a fight with a simple glare? The fight he had with Quatre was completely different to this situation. Duo was a little more understanding than Heero. No correction, he was 'A LOT' more understanding than Heero. While Duo accepted what Quatre was saying and doing in order to help out, he realised he overreacted and grew to understand Quatre more. But Heero was not the type to let go of a grudge so easily, nor was he the type of person to let others have their way around him. He has been like this for years and it's practically the way he is as a person. Yet Quatre still thinks he can change that and even be closer?

When hearing Quatre's little speech of hoping to be friends, Heero felt his anger boiling. Quatre seemed to keep ignoring what he was saying. Usually people got the hint after being told the first time but not with Quatre. So, it seemed he would have to express himself in a different way if he was going to be this difficult, "What makes you think you can help me Quatre?" The bolnde boy turned to look at Heero then before he continued, "Why do you assume you can do anything for someone? Especially when they haven't even said anything?"

Quatre simply answered, "I have a feeling you may be concerned over Relena's condition so I was hoping to help make you feel better..."

"Why?" Heero questioned, "Why do you want to help me? Especially when we hardly know one another."

"No matter what we are... Friends, enemies or complete strangers, I would still help you all the same. Because everyone shares the same sort of emotions and with the ones we suffer from, others may be able to lend a helping hand to perhaps ease the person's pain." Looking down at the ground for a moment, Quatre continued with a softer tone, "After all, no one likes to be left alone when you... are suffering... from something..."

Heero watched him for a moment and noticed his eyes fill with many mixed emotions, not understanding why but Heero ignored it and questioned, "What makes you think I'm suffering? What makes you think it can be solved by simple talk? What makes you think I will even open up to you? What nerve do you have asking me about my problems when the main thing causing them is you?" Without realising it, Heero had suddenly grabbed Quatre by the neck and threw him against the wall. He pushed him up and tightened his grip as he left Quatre there completely helpless. Noticing Quatre was finding it hard to breath, Duo rushed up towards Heero to try and stop him but Heero kicked him away before he could get too close.

Turning back to Quatre, Heero held him up a little higher and glared angrily at him, "You want to help me? Then get out of this city. It's as simple as that. If you care that much than you will do as I say, got it?" While awaiting an answer, Heero watched Quatre close his eyes for a moment while raising his hand up over Heero's wrist. He didn't know what Quatre was going to do so he tightened his grip on his neck a little more, causing Quatre to choke even further. Noticing this, Duo quickly got up from the ground and went to approach Heero again but stopped when Quatre held his other hand up to halt him.

Quatre simply smiled and opened his eyes to Heero then, showing nothing but a tender loving glow to them. Heero blinked in question over this and wondered why he was smiling at a time like this? Seeing this as some sort of trick to catch him off guard, Heero tightened his grasp again. You could see clear white marks over Quatre's neck with the amount of pressure Heero had on him. Even his knuckles were beginning to show a tinge of white as well. But Quatre continued smiling at him and trailed his hand from Heero's wrist to his hand, causing Heero to flinch.

"Heero, don't be so ashamed of yourself. Don't feel that we are in competition." Bringing his other hand up around Heero's, Quatre held it gently and continued, "Heero, you are great person. You watch out for everyone, you listen to what people have to say, you even help those who need it. I know on the outside you portray yourself as a cold hearted guy but really, you are the most caring person I have ever met..." Leanning his head down a little closer to Heero, Quatre started bringing his arms out, "If anything, it is me who should be admiring you. I admire your strength, you do whatever it takes to help those closest to your heart. You stick to your own decisions and thoughts and keep progressing with them. You don't let others get in your way, you have your goal and you want to fulfil it no matter what."

Heero's grip must have loosened dramatically on Quatre's neck since Quatre was suddenly very close to Heero and even began hugging him. Duo almost felt like his eyes were going to pop out with the amount of shock he was feeling. He has never seen anyone get within a feet of Heero let alone have them touching him like that. Heero didn't know what to do either, he was just as shocked as Duo and didn't know how to react. Quatre on the other hand continued hugging Heero and said in a low voice, "Heero, Relena still cares about you. She always has, and always will. Don't linger on past regrets and mistakes. Focus on what you can do in the now. Focus on what YOU can do. You and only you... Because there is much you can do which others can't, including me..."

Duo didn't hear what Quatre was saying but after a few moments, he watched as Heero's hand slowly removed itself from his neck. He then witnessed something he never expected to EVER see. Heero cry. A few tears were forming in Heero's eyes, hard for even Heero to believe. When that started, he pushed Quatre away from him and backed away. He was right, and he couldn't believe he allowed himself to fall under Quatre's spell. But in the end, it didn't end up being so bad. It helped, and it took a lot off his shoulders. Wiping the tears out of his eyes, Heero looked down at the ground for a moment, pondering over something.

Quatre on the other hand was wondering if he said something wrong. He was about to apologize but stopped when Heero began speaking, "... If you try pulling any more stunts like you did just now, I swear I will kill you got it?" Looking up at the blonde with a serious glance, Quatre simply smiled and nodded his understanding. With that being sorted, Heero nodded himself and turned to approach Relena's door.

Once he entered, Duo walked up to Quatre and said, "Geez, he could have at least said thanks for whatever it was you did. I didn't hear the last things you said but from his tears I assumed it touched him."

"He is grateful," Quatre confirmed, "He thanked me in his own way." From Duo's silence, he figured his friend still didn't understand so as a result Quatre began to chuckle, "He didn't make a move to hurt me. There shows his appreciation."

When Heero entered the room, he noticed Mrs. Darlian lying with her arms folded on the bed. When walking up beside her, he noticed she was sleeping. Seems she cried herself to sleep with the amount of tissues she had around her. Looking over to Relena's unconscious form, Heero thought about how lucky she was to still be alive. If it weren't for Quatre, she might not have made it. And for that he was thankful, but it made him wonder how Quatre knew she would be there. How did he know she would do this to herself as well? Even knowing her for as long as he does, Heero wouldn't have expected this. Then again, he hardly knew the vulnerable side to Relena. Not that she wasn't like this when they were together, but she never opened up to him about it.

Bringing a hand down to the side of her face, Heero began to speak softly as though she was awake to listen, "I... Wanted to help you... Like Quatre does... I wanted to be the one by your side... Not him... But my approaches were wrong weren't they? While I did care, I tried doing everything you wanted so you could be happy. I wanted more than anything for you to open yourself up to me, which was why I tried doing everything for you. And you were happy to an extent, but it wasn't fixing anything. Everytime I tried being there for you, you never opened up. Not even once..." Pausing for a moment, Heer stared at Relena deeply and asked, "Why? Why didn't you ever say anything? While you were depressed with me, things got worse the moment I left you. But I thought it would be best. You needed to be stronger, which was why I... Why I..."

That moment Heero began to clench his fists, trying to contain his anger. He brought them up to his hands then and cursed, "Why did I depend on Wufei? I thought he would help you. Instead he made matters worse and treated you like shit..." But it was then that Quatre's words began flooding into his mind, "... I still might not be able to help you completely, but I will do what I can when the time comes... When the time comes..."

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Rubbing a hand over his neck, Quatre began pondering over the words he spoke to Heero. As logical as they seemed, would Heero still follow his advice? He seemed as though he understood but it didn't mean he would go along with it. After all, Quatre knew Heero had good reasons to be edgy towards anyone who came close to Relena. Everyone she seemed to get close to would hurt her in the end. Especially the people Heero trusted most. "It's no wonder he's the way he is..." Quatre said softly to himself. Duo heard him speak but he couldn't make out what he said. He felt like asking but with the dazzed look in Quatre's face, he could tell he was deep in thought.

Sighing to himself, Duo began wondering about things too. About what will become of Relena with Mr. Darlian gone. Quatre still had no idea about any of this too. And he had a right to know as well. But it was Relena's business. It wouldn't be right if he spoke about something she held very personal. But at this point of time, where things could turn from bad to worse, she would need all the help she could get. "Quatre..." Duo started as Quatre turned his attention towards him, "Do you remember a while ago when we had that fight? During that time when you were still new and getting to know Relena?"

Quatre smiled, "How could I forget. It will be something I'll never forget." Duo looked to Quatre in question while the blonde continued to speak, "After all, it was from that that our friendship grew stronger. I got to learn more about you. Not to mention I helped you understand Relena better."

"Not really," Duo suddenly blurted out. Quatre looked at him with confusion then, causing Duo to turn his head the other way, "Your words did make an impact I admit, but it wasn't what got me accepting Relena in the end..."

"I see..." Quatre simply said as he looked down to the ground. He didn't feel disappointed or anything but this new information surprised him. Why didn't Duo mention any of this earlier? All this time he assumed his talk got through to him. If it didn't... "Then what did?" Quatre asked, looking back over to his friend again.

"..." Duo paused for a moment before changing the subject, "It was true that that fight got you understanding me a lot more. But, after all these months of us being friends. I still know nothing about you..." This got Quatre feeling uncomfortable, making him the one look in the opposite direction now. "Quatre, you are a really great person. If anything, you are practically perfect. You have hardly any flaws and that's what scares me." Watching him carefully, Duo asked seriously, "What's bothering y-" Before he could finish, he was stopped with Quatre's hand being put over his mouth.

"Duo, don't ask me that question right now. Not now okay? We are here for Relena..." Realising what he just said, Quatre tried correcting himself, "I mean... Nothing is wrong." With that, Quatre pulled his hand off of Duo's mouth and hoped he wouldn't try asking again. But now he felt like an idiot. Why didn't he pretend not to know what he meant? It was such a stupid question on Duo's behalf so really, anyone would have been confused with that. Although, the reason why he couldn't pretend was because he was never asked before.

'What's bothering you?'

'What's bothering you Quatre?'

He began shaking a little then, hearing this question repeat over and over in his mind. Why was it making such an impact on him? It was a simple little harmless question. Why was he making such a big deal about it? 'Get a hold of yourself Quatre,' he began thinking to himself. But as many times as he tried repeating this in his mind, the question Duo asked kept flooding in. Memories, so many memories came flooding into his head. Things he didn't want to know and wished would go away. "No... It's not my fault..." He started saying, causing Duo to worry a little. Quatre brought his hands to his head and started leanning against the wall, "Please, I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please just forgive me. Please stop judging me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Duo reached out to him but Quatre suddenly shifted away towards a corner. He huddled himself into a ball with his legs up against his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. His face was pale while his eyes showed nothing but fear in them. He was scared of something but Duo had no idea what it was. He has never seen this side of Quatre before. As Duo began walking a little closer, he watched Quatre suddenly burst into tears. It was so out of the blue that Duo didn't know how to take it. What could have made Quatre so emotionally unstable? He always seemed so strong, so in control of his feelings.

"Quatre! Get a hold of yourself!" Duo reached down and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders. "Quatre? Are you listening?" He began shaking him a little before bringing his hands to each side of his face. But with the contact he just made, Duo was surprised to feel him so cold. But more importantly he needed to get a hold of Quatre. Bringing his turquoise coloured eyes towards his cobalt ones, Duo stared him in the eyes. He hoped to get through to Quatre as much as possible. Duo had no idea what may have caused this but until he knew more about him, there was nothing Duo could do to help. All he can do for the moment is follow Quatre's earlier advice before this all happened.

"Quatre, Relena needs us. She needs us here for her. You know she wouldn't like to see you like this. She would blame it on herself and probably try commiting suicide again. If you cared for her at all, you would get yourself up and be strong for her. After all if you're not strong, than she isn't." Duo continued holding onto Quatre while he waited for some sort of reaction, hopefully a good one. It wasn't long until Quatre blinked, erasing the fearful look in his eyes. His features began to brighten while Duo could feel warmth returning to his face once more. Duo was relieved that Quatre was back to normal but Quatre on the other hand began staring at Duo blankly.

"Um, Duo? What are you doing?" That question brought Duo to realise he still had his hands on Quatre's face and was positioned very close to him. Duo panicked and quickly backed away from the blonde. He didn't want Quatre suddenly thinking he was gay since he sure as hell wasn't, but now he grew very confused. Quatre didn't remember what just happened a few seconds ago?

"What am I doing down here?" Quatre asked, more so to himself than Duo. When getting to his feet he began dusting himself off, leaving Duo baffled. As much as Duo would love to ask, he knew now wasn't the best time. He didn't want that little incident repeating itself. Quatre looked to Duo then, noticing the troubled look in his expression. Before Quatre could ask, Duo cut in and started, "We were talking about both of us with that fight that happened back then. About the fact that something else got me forgiving Relena besides your words..." Duo wanted to get Quatre's mind as far away from that last conversation as possible and as much as this wasn't fair on Relena, he was sure it would help her in the end.

"Quatre, about Relena... The reason I was able to forgive her was that... She told me..."

Before Duo could say anything more, both of them noticed some people heading in their direction. One look at them and Duo instantly knew who they were, 'Damnit, not now...' Quatre continued watching them. One of them was a man who looked to be a doctor. He had a long white coat with a clip board under his arm. The man looked to be in his mid twenties, having long silvery blonde hair tied back with ice blue eyes. He seemed almost farmiliar though, his eyes. The woman next to him had an arm linked with his and had a note book under her other arm. She wore a dressy type suit which consisted of dark blue pants, jacket and a white shirt with a blue tie. She had blue eyes and her hair was a mustardy brown colour with two plaits over each side of her shoulders. She looked very kind and had a nice smile. Was she perhaps his wife?

The next couple behind them seemed about middle aged and looked very sophisticated. With the way they presented themselves they looked very important. The older man had silvery hair much like the doctor and had a mustache and beard. He was wearing a dark blue business suit and looked as though he held a lot of pride in himself. His wife had sandy blonde hair and was wearing a dark green suit. She had her hair up in a bun and looked to be wearing the most expensive golden jewellery he had ever seen, they seemed to shine brightly in the light as though she was some sort of goddess. She looked to be just as confident about herself as her husband was.

Duo's rage boiled with the sight of the middle aged couple. Even after all these years he knew exactly who they were. The people who had brought nothing but sadness to his family. The people who had made his life a living hell. The people who he really wished would die. Quatre could almost feel the rage illuminating from his form and it was intimidating him a little. Never had he seen Duo so angry, so full of hate. That time when Quatre witnessed his rage at his home was nothing compared to this. But why? Just who were they?

"This way please," the doctor said as he opened the door to Relena's room. He held it open for the middle aged couple to enter and waited for his wife to enter as well. She was about to until she noticed Duo and Quatre nearby. Smiling she walked up to them and greeted, "Good afternoon, are you two friends of Miss Relena?"

Duo didn't answer, Quatre on the other hand couldn't see how he could ignore such a beautiful yet kind woman. Smiling he nodded and said, "Yes, my name is Quatre Raberba Winner and this is Duo Maxwell." When introducing them, Quatre couldn't help but notice the doctor suddenly draw his attention to Duo. He watched Duo carefully like a hawk, making Quatre wonder if they knew each other. But then the doctor looked over to Quatre and began staring at him. Quatre stared back, wondering why he was doing that. With the look on his face, it looked as though the doctor was assessing him or something. After a while the doctor simply turned back to the room and walked inside, closing the door after him.

The woman simply smiled and held her hand out to him, "And my name is Sally Merquise. Nice to meet you." Dismissing the doctor's actions for now, Quatre shook Sally's hand while she continued smiling, "It is an honor to meet someone like you Mr. Winner. And an even finer honor knowing you are friends with Miss Peacecraft."

Quatre stopped shaking her hand then, feeling somewhat confused with what she just said. Was she referring to Relena? Wasn't her last name Darlian though? Before Quatre could say anything more he suddenly heard yelling coming from Relena's room.

"NO YOU CAN'T! SHE IS MY DAUGHTER, SHE IS ALL I HAVE LEFT!" Quatre recognized that voice to be Mrs. Darlian's.

"What are you talking about you filthy woman. She is MY daughter," a woman argued back.

"We will be taking back our daughter since you won't have the ability to take care of yourself let alone her," a man said.

"This will be better for her, at least it might give us a chance to be a family again." A younger man said.

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**Author's Note:** Yay yay, got this chapter done finally :) Thanks to the easter break I had the time to work on this. And I must say, about time too hehe :P Hope you enjoyed it. I know it didn't feature much 4xR but I needed to get this stuff out of the way. With this out in the blue, Quatre will have to be closer to Relena than ever before right? ;) That's right hehe. Please please please review once you finish reading. I want to at least reach 100 reviews. Pretty please with a cherry on top:P If I can get more I would be even happier:D I wonder if I can get this story done within 20 chapters? Hmm, I wonder... We'll see what happens. I know for a fact it won't go over 25 so there is no need to worry about that ;) Anyways, I shall see you around when I get Chapter 16 out. Thank you again for reading. Please tell me what you think and what you would like to know so I will be sure to include it in the chapters to come. All the mysteries will be unravelled in the end I promise. Thanks to Hotoshi Kid and Crystal for helping me with proof reading (since I was a bit lazy too :P) Although I think I need to proof read this myself soon. But later when I can be bothered. Bye bye for now though :D


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